Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Respectfully, not everything can be a scandal. What we are trying to do here is make sure we have enough capacity in the Irish health service to deal with a wave that, thank God, has not arrived so far. I am very grateful for the fact that a number of privately owned hospitals reached a not-for-profit open-book cost-only arrangement with the State. There are a number of safeguards put into the agreement, including independent accountant's oversight. The normal scrutiny that applies to the spending of taxpayers' money applies here in relation to the role of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the most powerful and only constitutionally named committee of this House, that is, the Committee of Public Accounts. I have no doubt that Members such as the Deputy will ensure that oversight is exercised to the full extent.

I was clear in my letter to the Deputy that where fees or interest payments relate to the ongoing functioning of the hospital, they will be included in the costs, but intra-company payments are excluded and the rent and interest payments apply to pre-existing arrangements. Any rent or interest payment relating to the ongoing functioning of the hospital is to be paid under the agreement but intra-company arrangements will not. I am happy to continue considering the issue of the full cost statement. We have to be conscious of commercial sensitivity, which is a legitimate issue for any business.

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