Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 September 2012
1537. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if the position of independent adviser on the financial performance of the Health Service Executive was tendered for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37077/12]
View answerI assume the Deputy is referring to the independent expert from the UK who was engaged to undertake a review of the financial management of the HSE in June 2012. The rules regarding procurement, as set out in the Public Procurement Guidelines, state that a competitive process should be used unless there are justifiably exceptional circumstances. The Secretary General of my Department, who commissioned the review, took the view that such exceptional circumstances pertained in this instance, due to the deteriorating financial position of the HSE and the need to inform discussions at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Health in early July.
The UK expert who was engaged to carry out the review is highly qualified and has many years experience in management, finance and operations in the NHS in England and a record for delivering financial results at organisational and regional level in the NHS and delivering on the financial recovery of challenged organisations.
