Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The circumstances are clear. A public contact was awarded to a private consultancy firm and the founder and a 50% shareholder in that private firm was appointed as head of the health service that gave the contract to the firm in which he was a 50% shareholder. Is that not wrong? He then resigned because of a conflict of interest and the review of maternity services was withdrawn. All of this emerged in a drip-feed of information. The matter was raised in the Seanad and in this House by Teachta Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin and by me with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, who told me he had not been briefed on the matter and apologised to me privately afterwards. How is it possible that the Minister for Health did not know when he appointed the chairperson that this person had been the founder, a director and joint owner of the D & F Health Partnership? How much public money was paid to the company? What is the status of the report which recommends cuts to vital maternity services at Portiuncula, Ballinasloe and Letterkenny? Will the Taoiseach assure those living in the west and north west that existing maternity services will be retained fully? Let me give him a wee bit of advice. Why did he not come here or get the Minister to come and make a full statement instead of it having to be dragged out of him like this?

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