Results 3,861-3,880 of 26,021 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Why does it take so long?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: It seems a relatively long turnaround time period. Can I go back to the €61 million, of which €9 million is outstanding for more than a year? How many consultants are involved in that €9 million and why has a situation been allowed to develop whereby documentation relating to €9 million of taxpayers' money to allow a claim to be put in is effectively outstanding...

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: It would have to in some way. If it was €74 million back in September 2012 and of the €61 million, €9 million is outstanding for more than a year, some of that €9 million must have been included in the €74 million as well.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: It is still the same. It is coming out of the same pool.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: If they are outstanding for more than 12 months, they are included in the €74 million at the end of September.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: That could be less than six months outstanding.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: We were led to believe last October that there was €74 million in forms in respect of the consultants' element of the private fee income that had not been billed to whatever private insurer because the forms had not been signed off by the consultant. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Of the €61 million, what are the debtors' days? How long is that outstanding? That is a different issue. I am talking about an administrative issue. I am going through the eye of a needle here for something that should be relatively straightforward to answer. I will not let it go because at the end of the day, it is taxpayers' money. Of the €61 million, could Mr. Woods...

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: If €61 million worth of bills have not gone to a private insurer and if the HSE is an organisation with a budget of €13 billion to €14 billion per year but Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Woods are not able to tell me how long that €61 million has been outstanding for, I must ask why they cannot give me that figure because this is relatively straightforward accounting.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Is it one half or one third of the figure?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: I would have expected Mr. Woods to have that figure here today because we have done so much work on this. We brought out a report on the HSE with specific mention of the €74 million. I have written to the HSE and we produced a report on the matter. We still do not know why €61 million remains outstanding, how long it is outstanding and how many consultants are involved. Is...

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: There must be a basis for the figure of €61 million.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Therefore, there must be details on it.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: It appears that it has not been billed. The figure has decreased from €74 million to €70 million to €61 million. Why is it there and why is it taking so long to collect taxpayers' money? Figures for individual hospitals range from as short as ten days to as long as 74 days. What is the longest period for an individual hospital? It is difficult to read these figures.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: What is the shortest?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: That would be a turnaround period of three days. Is there an incentive for hospitals to improve turnaround times? Why is there such disparity among them? Is it down to individual consultants or procedures in the hospitals?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Can individual hospitals continue to run these long turnaround times? What is the penalty? It is all very well having rules but, in terms of getting money for the taxpayer, am I not correct to say that every extra euro in arrears has an impact on the cash budget?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: It has a major impact on front-line services and on how the health service operates. How can all these new rules be enforced? Are penalties being imposed on those who do not improve turnaround times?

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Mr. O'Brien believes there will be an additional €20 million in cash.

Public Accounts Committee: 2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 40 - Health Service Executive
Health Service Executive Financial Statements 2011 (25 Apr 2013)

Kieran O'Donnell: Of the €61 million outstanding at the end of December, if a project was managed around it so that the money was retrieved in quick fashion would the impact not be well above €20 million?