Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 13 June 2019

Public Accounts Committee

Business of Committee

9:00 am

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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On the audit opinion, how many times have we raised the issue of non-compliant procurement by the HSE? There are several issues on which we have shone a light in terms of the presentation of accounts. The Chairman gave the example of one aspect of the HSE accounts and how the Department or the Minister presents them. The committee has been quite good on the issue of the late presentation of accounts and organisations have stepped up their game in that respect. However, non-compliant procurement has been an issued since I joined the committee. Members have raised it repeatedly, but there seems to be no sanction, other than it appearing as a footnote in the audit opinion. At what point do we say that is not good enough? Our periodic report must deal strongly with this issue. We previously considered dealing with it as a single issue. I do not know whether the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform or another Department sets the guidelines for procurement. How is it that 30% of the sample came back as non-compliant? That is an extremely high figure, considering the amount of money the HSE spends on procurement. I know that the Comptroller and Auditor General does his job in citing this issue each time it arises, but at what point does the committee state enough is enough and that better controls are needed? It is coming up time and again and we are not seeing any improvement.