Results 23,181-23,200 of 26,092 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: To put this in context, the interval is approximately five months. There appears to be some issue regarding proper interaction between consultants and administrative staff so that files are signed off. If that is the case, it must be remedied.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: I shall put it another way, then. Is it possible to specifically assign one person within each hospital to ferry the files to the consultants, get them signed off and sent to the insurance companies so that the €74 million outstanding can be claimed?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: With respect, Mr. O'Brien, I do not buy that. The local circumstances are irrelevant. This affects real people's lives.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: Okay; I am sorry. I misunderstood the point.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: My question is very simple. What is the timeframe in which these forms will be signed off? The objective should be to get the bulk of that income in before the end of the year so that the HSE can pull back on some of the more punitive cuts it has been required to implement in order to balance its books. Is this going to happen in the short term?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: Let us put it out there that they should be signed.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: I accept that.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: I wish to make a suggestion. The critical difference between the €125 million of accelerated cash and the €74 million is that the latter has a direct impact in terms of both cash flow and cuts. In the current environment, I suggest that the HSE cuts a deal with the insurance companies to get money up front because of the potential impact of the cuts to front line services with...

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: I welcome Mr. Tony O'Brien and his colleagues. How many payroll systems are in operation in the HSE?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: PPARS was there many years ago. I thought it was about consolidating the payroll system within the HSE. Where did PPARS end up and what did it cost? We are talking about outsourcing. It is difficult to analyse properly and give a fair comment on a system if there is a lack of cohesive information. That is not to say the information is not available.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: No; I had not planned to ask the question.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: It is an obvious question. Due to challenges posed by the legacy payroll systems, of which there are eight - Mr. Barry O'Brien will appreciate this is about analysing information and the questions asked by Deputy McDonald in respect of absenteeism, the figures for which are not to hand - I thought a report would be available showing the total numbers and the cost. Obviously it is difficult...

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: While much of this is prior to Mr. O'Brien's time, with a budget of the order of almost €14 billion per annum and an organisation with eight payroll systems, the HSE has to concentrate time on putting in place a payroll system which will amalgamate all the payrolls. It is clear there is not enough of PPARS. If memory serves me correctly, PPARS cost in the region of €120...

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: Can Mr. Barry O'Brien tell me the timeframe for putting this in place?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: I shall return to a point raised by Deputy Mary Lou McDonald on the clinical director's allowance. Mr. Tony O'Brien referred to the fact that he was also in the management service of a modern HSE. I raised the question previously and I have put the representatives on notice that I would probably raise the issue. Within the consultants area, €74 million in private fee income remains...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion with Civic Society Representatives and Focus Groups (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: I welcome the witnesses. I have a few questions from my brief reading of the submissions. Reference was made to labour activation measures but how would congress, IBEC and the SCSI envisage they would work in practice? The biggest single issue we face is unemployment. We did not discuss that at length but I am sure everyone would agree it is the biggest single issue. If people come off...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion with Civic Society Representatives and Focus Groups (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: Absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion with Civic Society Representatives and Focus Groups (8 Nov 2012)

Kieran O'Donnell: It is a risk-based issue.