Results 6,301-6,320 of 8,745 for speaker:Verona Murphy

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: I welcome everyone and I notice our guests are here in force, both virtually and physically, which is a sign that Covid-19, in particular, has moved on. What I have to say concerns budgets. To be fair to the Government, we certainly have an input of funding from it that depicts a first-class health service. Some would say that, although we are investing €21 billion in the health...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: You. How can you?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: Okay. The question was what actions has Mr. Watt taken to ensure the implementation and that there is an efficient use of the allocation of funding? Let me be clearer and we will move on to the issue of mental health. Some €23 million was allocated. This has been widely reported in the newspapers but I do not want to go there. Where I want to go is that, at €23 million,...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: Just to be clear, the oversight role as stated by Mr. Watt does not include the fact that, once the money is allocated, it is his job to see that the money is spent efficiently and delivers a service. That is not his role. Am I wrong?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: We do not have time, Mr. Watt, and I have limited time. That question has a “yes” or “no” answer. Is it his role to ensure that once the money is allocated, it delivers an efficient, First World health service?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: Mr. Watt’s job as Secretary General is what I am asking. Is that a description of his role?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: Will Mr. Watt tell me, and again I ask the question, what actions he has taken since he took up the position of Secretary General more than 18 months ago to ensure the implementation of the funding to deliver the health service? Which of these best describes his actions? A, would Mr. Watt say he has identified the problem and he does not know what to do about it? B, would he say he has...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: A was had he identified the problem and does not know what to do about it. B asked if he had not identified a problem, in which case it is getting worse. C asked if Mr. Watt is paid a large salary, which he receives regardless, and just does not care?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: But that is-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: Sorry. Is Mr. Watt just paid regardless and it does not bother him?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: Regarding the 1 million hours allocated for home care support, what actions have been put in place to ensure their delivery? In the Dáil, when I question the Minister for Health, or the Taoiseach during Leaders' Questions, and I say we have increased the number of people waiting on home care support by more than 100 since an extra 1 million hours were provided, the Taoiseach responds by...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: I thank Mr. Watt.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: Does Mr. Watt regard himself as a problem-solver?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: I am sorry, this is a binary question. Is Mr. Watt saying "Yes" or "No"? Does he regard himself as a problem-solver? This is a question requiring a "Yes" or "No" answer.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: I appreciate that. I have heard about the problems, but what I am not getting from Mr. Watt are the solutions. I say that because I believe the expectation of this committee, and of the public, is that we appoint people to positions to solve problems and not to be telling us what the problems are all the time. We appoint people to come up with solutions that reflect the fact that we have...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: Not really. I am only using that as an example. This is reflective of the situation across the service. If the Chair wishes, I could go into the issue of the children’s disability network teams, CDNTs, and the debacle regarding the child disability network. We do not have a full child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, team anywhere in the country that is reflective of...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: Well, Mr. Watt is the head of the Department.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: It is for Mr. Watt, as far as I am concerned.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: I did say “some would say”.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Health (Resumed)
Health Service Executive: Financial Statements 2020 (26 May 2022)

Verona Murphy: Now, I disagree with that.