Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

For more than two months I have been saying that we have been paying over the odds to private hospital owners like Denis O'Brien and are being ripped off. I pointed to evidence that suggests we are paying four times as much per bed as was being paid in the UK and I have repeatedly asked for a breakdown of costs. The Minister refused to publish those costs and instead tried to dismiss what I was raising as being some sort of conspiracy theory.

On Tuesday at the Covid committee, Mr. Martin Varley of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association also said that this deal was poor value for money and agreed with the call for complete transparency. I believe the Ceann Comhairle has been in contact with the Minister over his non-answer to a parliamentary question of mine, but I think has had no response yet.

Does the Minister accept that these concerns are valid? Does he accept that given the history of sweetheart deals with various big business people, people want to see the cost breakdown published? Does he accept that he should now publish the breakdown of costs so that people can see it for themselves?

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