Results 18,521-18,540 of 21,260 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Pardon the semantics but Mr. O'Brien is in attendance at that sub-committee. In terms of having that discussion with the Minister who makes the policy decisions, I hope his budgetary projections are a bit more robust. I do not see how the HSE can find €500 million by cutting €58 million from the front line. I do not buy that. I know we will have the chance retrospectively to...

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Does that cover the 35 primary health care centre locations as announced by the Minister?

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: It covers the 20 and there is no provision for the additional 15.

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I want to make it clear that I am not asking Dr. McLoughlin to second-guess or overstep the Minister. What was Dr. McLoughlin's interaction with the Minister on the criteria agreed for the delivery of these centres?

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Just to clarify that point, the intention is to build 20 of the 35.

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: In two bundles of ten. It is not the intention to build 35.

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Okay. When the budgeting for those health care centres was under way, obviously a decision was made in terms of the capital allocation for it, which was, quite correctly, the call of the Minister. The decision making around which centres might be built was clearly taken on by the Minister. In terms of the Department's internal management, I presume there is a paper trail or documentation...

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is right.

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Those things were identified very publicly by the Minister as additional criteria to be applied in terms of expanding the list.

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: The HSE would have been centrally involved in terms of applying the criteria in respect of drawing up these lists.

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am aware of that.

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Was the drawing up of the list of 20 and its expansion to 35 driven by the HSE as well?

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am not questioning that but, obviously, criteria had to be applied to correspond with the financial envelope.

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: It would be very helpful for Mr. O'Brien, as the Accounting Officer for the HSE, to tell us the role and involvement of the HSE in identifying those 20 locations and the additional 15.

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I understand, but I am talking specifically about the list of 20 and the extended list of 35. What was the HSE's role? I understand it was a much longer list but what was the HSE's role in terms of saying which would be the 20 and then the additional 15?

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I do not accept that it is. The policy in terms of the decision as to what the criteria might be is clearly a policy matter. That is the kick for the Minister but the application of the criteria, which I am trying to establish here, would be with the involvement of or led out by the HSE and the Department. I am trying to establish the role of the HSE in compiling the list of 20 and then...

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I thank Dr. McLoughlin for his contribution. He is stating that the shortfall, which in real terms, to achieve the balance target, is a saving of €438 million, can be made and will be made by year end. Is that the position of the HSE and the Department of Health?

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am not asking for the figure to the euro and to the cent, but a simple mathematical exercise which I have undertaken - let me assure everybody that I do not claim mathematical brilliance - tells us that in real terms the overrun by year end will be in the neighbourhood of €509 million, which is more than €0.5 billion. There is €72 million in respect of cash management...

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Clearly, there are policy issues, but for both the Department and the HSE to come before an auditing committee one has to talk through the figures. Without getting into the fine detail of policy choices, they must at a minimum be able to reassure us that a balanced budget can be struck, and furthermore in the public interest, to assure people, I am not sure how they do this, that it will not...

Public Accounts Committee: Vote Management and Budgetary Situation in 2012: Discussion with Department of Health and HSE (9 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Is Mr. O'Brien saying that he will balance the books---