Committee of Public Accounts to resume examination of HSE’s 2021 financial statements

The meeting in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House will be joined by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Seamus McCarthy, and officials from the HSE, led by Stephen Mulvany, Interim CEO and Accounting Officer to the Committee. Officials from the Department of Health will also be in attendance.

PAC Cathaoirleach Deputy Brian Stanley said: “The HSE provides all of Ireland’s public health services in hospitals and communities across the country. This will be the Committee’s third engagement with the HSE on its 2021 financial statements following meetings in September and October last year.

“The HSE’s overall expenditure for 2021 was nearly €23bn, an increase of over €2bn or eight per cent when compared with 2020. The key driver for that increased expenditure was the HSE’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is broken down into current expenditure of €21.6bn and capital expenditure of €1.1bn. At the end of 2021, the HSE had an operating deficit for the year which amounted to €195m.

“The main areas of interest for the Committee at this meeting are expenditure on key services provided by the HSE. These include disability services, emergency care in acute hospitals including patients on trollies in ED units and bed numbers in hospitals, and waiting lists for consultations, procedures and services.

“Members also wish to examine GP services and in particular out of hours GP services, the funding of Voluntary Disability Services Agencies, the HSE’s capital allocation for the National Children’s Hospital currently under construction in Dublin, and the handling of liabilities related to nursing home charges.

“The Committee welcomes Mr Mulvany and his colleagues and looks forward to a detailed examination of the HSE financial statements and related matters.”

The meeting in Committee Room 3 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

PAC is a standing committee of Dáil Éireann which focuses on ensuring public services are run efficiently and achieve value for money. Further information on the role and remit of the Committee can be found here.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.