Dáil debates

Thursday, 23 September 2021

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation

 

1:00 pm

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question. Last year, when I came into office, I requested that the board of the HSE conduct a full audit into the PPE that had been purchased because a huge amount of public money was spent at very short notice in extremely difficult circumstances. That audit has been completed and is being considered by the HSE with a view to ensuring best practice. With regard to the ventilators, the HSE is looking to recover moneys from a company based in China. I am sure the Deputy will be aware of this. There has been public commentary on it. I both agree and disagree with the Deputy. I agree wholeheartedly on the need for best practice and very clear lines of responsibility with regard to all procurement right across the healthcare system. It is a vast budget and every euro that is spent has to be spent in the right way. However, I will sound a note of caution. When we look back at the procurement as Covid was arriving here, the Deputy and I were in the same room, as were many others, when we were being briefed by the Chief Medical Officer and others. We all demanded and insisted that anything that had to be done would be done, that we would not run out of PPE and that we would not run out of ventilators. The HSE did what we asked it to do. I urge us all to remember that we in the Oireachtas demanded immediate action from the HSE. It took that action.

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