Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 346: To ask the Minister for Finance the role played by his Department in the conclusion of a contract between the Health Service Executive and iSoft; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35555/05]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 347: To ask the Minister for Finance his views on whether it is appropriate that the signing of a contract of over €50 million by a State body be the subject of an oral sanction by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35556/05]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 348: To ask the Minister for Finance the reason his Department confined the implementation of the iSoft contract to the areas previously covered by the former North Eastern Health Board and North Western Health Board even though the supplier was selected on the basis of a national deployment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35557/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 346 to 348, inclusive, together.

The Health Service Executive requested sanction from my Department in April 2005 for the acquisition of a patient management software package. In considering this request my Department examined the proposal and was satisfied that it was sound from an ICT architectural perspective. My Department raised some minor issues regarding the draft contract and also advised, given the passage of time since the proposal was first made, that legal advice on some procurement issues should be obtained prior to signing the contract. Following discussions with the HSE and the Department of Health and Children, my Department indicated that sanction would be granted subject to satisfactory resolution of these issues and to a number of conditions being satisfied.

It is my Department's understanding that in the context of price negotiations for a national system for the HSE, the original pricing proposal would hold provided the contract was signed by 30 April 2005. As soon as these conditions were met, my Department gave sanction for the acquisition of the system and this was conveyed to the HSE initially orally on 29 April. It was subsequently followed up by letter dated 16 May. The decision to limit the roll-out of the existing version of the system to the former North Eastern Health board and North Western Health Board areas was taken by the HSE. I am satisfied that my Department acted appropriately on the request for sanction by the HSE to acquire the involved system.