Ireland’s State financial watchdog has no plans to investigate the surging cost of the national children’s hospital project, saying he and not politicians decide what should be examined.
Comptroller and auditor general Seamus McCarthy confirmed that while he regularly audits the national paediatric hospital development board overseeing the project he is not planning a specific investigation into the hospital scandal.
Speaking during the latest Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting, Mr McCarthy said he understands the concerns over the scale of costs associated with the project.
However, just 24 hours after officials overseeing the national children’s hospital plan told the health committee that another €450,000 will be spent on a PwC review of the spiraling €1.7bn costs, the C&AG said he is not planning to investigate at this stage.
Responding to a question from Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane, Mr McCarthy said: “I audit the development board, that’s it. I have no plans to conduct any particular work in relation to the [national children’s hospital] project,” adding: “I choose my own work.”
Mr McCarthy said the 2017 audit of the national paediatric hospital development board is complete and that he and his officials are planning a similar audit of the overall umbrella group for 2018 as well.
However, he repeated that the office of the C&AG is not currently planning any specific additional investigation into the national children’s hospital project itself, in part because of the Government-commissioned PwC review.
Mr McCarthy, who attends every PAC meeting, was speaking after the committee decided not to invite Department of Public Expenditure secretary general Robert Watt to attend a key meeting on the hospital in the coming weeks.
In a formal request to the PAC yesterday morning, Sinn Féin TD Jonathan O’Brien called for Mr Watt to be ordered before the PAC to answer questions on the surging costs involved.
However, responding directly to the request, PAC chairman and Fianna Fáil TD Sean Fleming said officials from the national paediatric hospital development board, the HSE, Department of Health secretary general Jim Breslin and representatives of the national procurement agency are already attending the upcoming meeting.
Describing these officials as “the chief link in the chain”, Mr Fleming said it may be better to wait for a further meeting before inviting Mr Watt to attend as “we’ve quite a bit on the agenda”.
Mr Watt has sparked anger in recent days over his refusal to answer any public questions over the national children’s hospital scandal despite repeated requests to do so.
In a controversial move, Mr Watt refused to attend a health committee meeting on the crisis on Wednesday, saying he has no direct responsibility to the committee.
As reported in yesterday’s Irish Examiner, the Dáil’s budgetary oversight committee’s chairman and Fine Gael TD, Colm Brophy, subsequently wrote to Mr Watt on Wednesday saying he in fact has a direct responsibility to his own committee.