Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

Given the enormous pressures on the public finances and, particularly, on the health service, it is a grave concern this money has not been collected. I was made aware of this in the Department six months ago. It is incomprehensible that this amount of money is owed to the health service which so badly needs it. Action has been slow in this area. I have been told it is a priority and that action will be taken. As far as I can see, however, no progress seems to have been made in six months. This is a management issue. I cannot understand how people charged with managing the health service, for which they are paid handsomely, are not capable of brining in the money owed to the service.

I also cannot understand why consultants, who are also exceptionally well-paid and better off than their counterparts in any other country in Europe, are holding up this process by their failure to sign the necessary paperwork. That matter was brought into sharp relief this week in the context of the threats to the health budget and the cutbacks that must be made in respect of a range of areas across all Government Departments. I will be writing to Mr. Cathal Magee in the coming days because it is entirely unacceptable that this matter cannot be managed in a satisfactory way. The chief executive of the HSE, the Secretary General of the Department of Health and the CEOs of the various hospitals concerned must pull out all the stops in respect of this issue. The least we can expect is that all of these senior personnel will ensure that the money in question will - one way or the other - be brought in before the end of the year.

If our extremely well paid consultants continue to drag their heels in this regard, we will be obliged to move quickly to ensure that penalties are applied in respect of them. Irrespective of what one is paid, there must be some consequences if one fails to carry out one's job. People should do their jobs if they are being paid to do them. If someone fails to do his or her job, then sanctions should be imposed. I am undertaking to pursue this matter because the position is intolerable and there is no excuse for it being allowed to drag on interminably. We need to collect the money in question as soon as possible.