Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

Like many others, I was appalled to learn that during the tenure of the previous Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, 115 consultants' reports were produced costing €30 million. Often the decision to appoint a consultant to produce a report is to take action on a matter. No action has been taken on foot of most of those reports. The Hanly report cost approximately €750,000 and we know the Fianna Fáil backbenchers went into a spin as a result of its findings. Almost €700,000 was spent on a lifestyle report to tell us how fat and inactive we are.

I would like to think the professionalism exists within the Department of Health and Children to produce reports rather than have consultants making a fortune producing reports, the recommendations of which will never be implemented which would prove the consultants' findings. This spending was done at a time when hospital wards were being closed and patients were on trolleys. We would want to cop ourselves on in regard to consultants' reports and how funding is spent.