11 Meith 2014, 10:32
Tony O’Brien, Director General of the Health Service Executive, will appear before the Committee of Public Accounts this Thursday, 12th June 2014 to discuss the HSE Appropriation Account for 2012, Chapter 21 Budget Management in the HSE and Chapter 22 Eligibility for Medical Cards.
Dr Ambrose O’Loughlin, Secretary General of the Department of Health, will also attend the PAC meeting to discuss the Department of Health Appropriation Account 2012.
Chairman of the Committee John McGuinness TD said: “The HSE is facing a severe financial challenge in 2014 resulting from a continued reduction in its funding base and significant additional savings required. Between 2008 and 2014, the HSE budgets have been reduced by €4billion. This is against a backdrop of increased demand services and the loss of 10% of staff.
“The deficit for the period to the end of March 2014 was €80.4 million. The HSE has flagged in its most recent performance report (March 2014) that projections to the year-end indicate that the scale of risk and challenge in achieving financial breakeven by the year end is extremely significant. The Committee will be keen to discuss current financial projections to the year-end with the Accounting Officer as well as what the Department and the HSE intend to do in order to deal with the risk and challenge identified.
“While members this week will be keen to discuss discretionary medical cards and the new expert panel which will examine the area, other key issues of interest to the Committee are: savings from recent deals with the pharmaceutical industry and reference pricing; the acute hospital sector and how deficits can be curtailed; agency staff and increases in costs; and Haddington Road savings.
“The Committee will also be keen to scrutinise the HSE’s 2014 National Service Plan to establish if the HSE is currently on target and if savings of €619 million earmarked for this year are proving to be realistic and achievable. Medical card probity savings of €23 million will be of particular interest as well as unallocated pay savings of €108 million, which have already been flagged as unachievable. The level of Haddington Road savings which have been achieved to date this year could also be queried as well as projected savings for the rest of 2014 in terms of the agreement.”
This meeting will start in Committee Room 1 at 10am on Thursday, 12th June 2014.
Committee proceedings can be followed live here.
Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.
Media enquiries to:
Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551
Committee of Public Accounts Membership
John McGuinness (Chairman)
Kieran O’Donnell (Vice Chairman)
Paul J Connaughton,
John Deasy,
Áine Collins
Gerald Nash,
Simon Harris,
Robert Dowds,
Mary Lou McDonald,
Sean Fleming,
Eoghan Murphy,
Derek Nolan,
Shane Ross.