Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is not a legal issue at all, but I wish to see the detail of the agreement reached between the HSE and the for-profit providers. We are talking about global, multinational corporations. They are people who are in the business of making a huge amount of money. The Minister of State will be aware of my views on the private sector in health care. I see the Minister nodding beside the Minister of State. He is well aware of them. However, these people make huge profits that fund big offices, branded cars and the like. The small, not-for-profit providers are effectively being locked out of this market. If somebody has an elderly relative who is receiving their home help from a small, not-for-profit provider but they wish to get an additional amount, which the State should be providing but is not, they must give money to a global corporation or a multinational company for it. It does not make sense. Will the Minister of State publish the details of the agreement between the HSE and the private providers? Every penny that goes to the not-for-profit providers is put directly into service provision. In the case of private providers and the big global multinationals, we are giving taxpayers' money to fund their offices, corporations, backroom operations and so forth. It is not good value for money.

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