Anger at hospital spend request snub
The country’s top official for public expenditure has been sharply criticised for snubbing a request to appear before the Oireachtas Health Committee which is investigating cost overruns at the National Children’s Hospital.
Chief Whip Sean Kyne and the Opposition lashed out at Robert Watt, secretary general at the Department of Public Expenditure, who said his attendance is not required before the committee.
Mr Watt wrote to the committee saying he did not think his attendance was required as it is “a matter for the Department of Health”.
Committee chairman Michael Harty said it was “astounding” that Mr Watt has declined the invitation to attend its meeting tomorrow.
Mr Kyne said the position of the secretary-general is “not sustainable”.
He said the Department of Public Expenditure quibbles over small amounts of money in other areas and should make itself available to the committee as part of its work.
Mr Kyne said that lessons have not been learned from overruns in the past with PPARS (the health payroll and personnel system) and the Port Tunnel.
Mr Kyne said that the departments of Health and Public Expenditure have to work together in relation to cost control.
Health Minister Simon Harris was informed of potential increases in cost in August, and he informed Cabinet just before Christmas when he became aware of the actual figures.
Mr Kyne also pointed out the Luas interlink project came in under time and under budget.
Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on health Louise O’Reilly said Mr Watt should appear at the committee to account for the overspend, tell members at what point the overspend was communicated to him and his department, and whether anything was done to curb it.
Queries to the Department of Public Expenditure went unanswered yesterday.
It emerged yesterday that the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) is to examine the soaring costs of the new national children’s hospital.
Mr Kyne, speaking yesterday, accepted the cost increases from €450m to 2012 to more than €1.4bn today were not acceptable and said C&AG Seamus McCarthy is likely to examine the spike in costs.
However, a Government spokesman later said this is actually not the case and no plans exist for the C&AG to examine the costs.
The Department of Health and the Health Service Executive have finalised terms of reference for an investigation commissioned by the Government into the soaring cost of the new hospital.
That review is to be carried out by consultants PwC and is expected to take three months.
Fianna Fáil TD Lisa Chambers said: “We need to find out what went wrong” so it does not happen again. She said that ultimately, the minister is responsible.
Labour’s Joan Burton said the issue was related to the decision of the Taoiseach to combine the Department of Public Expenditure with the Department of Finance.
