Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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We have discussed the issue, and we are going to write to the HSE raising the following specific points. We want to deal with the issue of conflict of interest. There was much public commentary about possible conflict of interest from the BAM side, but the Department should have been aware of this issue because it was very much in the public domain. We want clarification on what steps were taken around potential conflict of interest. We also want to know the nature of the specialist high-level input, and how much PwC was paid for that and for the report, and whether any staff involved were involved in both reports. There may have been a different person signing off on the reports, but there may have been crossover. We have to know what the HSE did to ensure independence. We need a copy of that written report. The HSE is to get PwC's consent for that report to be sent straight to us, rather than going through that rigmarole for another fortnight. Were the Minister, the Department and the Government aware of the fact that PwC was involved in the earlier process or was the Minister kept in the dark? If so, why was that the case? We also want to know where in the report is the evidence to back up the conclusion reached in the report to the effect that the option taken was the best option. The conclusion just lands on page 8, and we need to know-----