John Gilroy (Labour)

I have two questions for the Leader, one of which is specific and the other general. The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General again draws our attention to the confusion that is the fair deal nursing home support scheme, which scheme is vital for a great number of our older people and their families. Perhaps the Leader could ascertain from the Minister how the National Treatment Purchase Fund managed to enter into agreements with a significant number of private nursing homes resulting in the State paying in excess of €20 million more than it should have. It is odd that no standard pricing model was used and basic information such as the level of dependency was not taken into account during these negotiations. It suggests that questions need to be asked about the negotiating skills of those involved and I ask the Leader to ascertain from the Minister, the Department or the HSE what happened in that regard.

Each year when the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General is published it causes a certain level of furore among the public, in the media and in political circles, which generally lasts for one or two days. It revealed certain levels of waste and mismanagement across Departments and agencies. Invariably this fuss dies down with seemingly no consequence for those who make poor decisions. I ask the Leader to facilitate a debate on the issue in the House and perhaps invite the Comptroller and Auditor General to come to the House to discuss his report in greater detail. While we are at it, perhaps we could make it an annual event on our calendar or schedule of work. There is a valuable role for this House in ensuring accountability everywhere and we should be striving to expand this role wherever we can.