Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht teacht isteach anseo chun déileáil leis an gceist atá ardaithe agam. The last time I raised a Commencement matter, I asked the Minister to explain the expenditure by the Saolta hospital group on public relations consultants. The Minister kindly responded by sending me a letter dated 12 February. I think he was attending the European Parliament at the time. I thank the Minister for that response in which he outlined the expenditure made in the 2014 financial year only. I was quite concerned to learn that the Saolta group spent €169,444.80, inclusive of VAT, on hiring a PR consultancy firm, Setanta Communications. Many people find it difficult to understand how it is possible for dedicated personnel within the public service, who are on public sector pay, to work in the communications area while at the same time organisations funded by the taxpayer are getting into business with private sector PR companies.

I note from the Minister's earlier response that the HSE has not provided the Saolta health care group with staff to deal with communications matters. The HSE has its own communications people, and possibly even its own PR companies engaged in addition to that. As Saolta was not given staff to deal with communications matters, it had to go to the private sector and pay out a six-figure sum for one year only.The Minister has advised me of an interim arrangement whereby a member of the HSE west communications team was provided to Saolta. When that was not in place, Saolta advertised internally for dedicated communications personnel and, while awaiting the outcome of the recruitment process, went out to tender again for PR and communications services and this tender was awarded. That seems like a massive waste of money. I cannot understand why public sector bodies are spending so much taxpayers' money effectively on looking good to the taxpayer. If it is a matter of responding to people's letters and giving an account of one's stewardship, then surely there are people within the organisation whose task it is to do that. However, people rightly suspect that there is considerably more.

I have previously highlighted that there are only four venues in Ireland for baby-cooling treatment, none of them in the west. I have made the point that the sum paid out on PR by Saolta in 2014 would pay for two neonatologists, based on the salary scales in University College Hospital Cork which were published in January. In a 2013 study, Johns Hopkins University estimated the cost of a baby-cooling mat at €10,000. We have a problem with spending money on spin doctors that could and should be spent on real doctors. I would be grateful for the up-to-date figures for 2015, including all outstanding invoices. I would be interested to ascertain whether the Saolta group is continuing to spend taxpayers' money on PR consultants at the same rate as occurred in 2014. I believe - I suspect the Minister also believes - that the spending on PR consultants should be redirected to patient care.

I have spoken in this House decrying the HSE's ongoing failure to provide therapeutic hypothermia, or baby-cooling facilities, for newborn children in the west. I do not know what the Minister's views are on that. However, it is shameful that money spent on PR consultants could have been used to hire staff and obtain equipment to provide such facilities in hospitals in the west.

I take this opportunity to ask the Minister another question. On a previous occasion, he kindly came to the House and responded to my question on the HSE audit of the award of the Northgate contract and whether issues arose that would have implications for the then CEO of Saolta, Mr. Maher, who I now understand has moved to a job in the east of the country.