Committee of Public Accounts to resume examination of 2021 appropriation accounts and C&AG’s report on financial impact of HSE cyber attack with Department of Health

The meeting in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House will be joined by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Seamus McCarthy, and officials from the Department, led by Robert Watt, the Secretary-General and Accounting Officer to the Committee.

During the afternoon session, beginning at 1.30pm, the Committee will consider correspondence and other business of the Committee.

PAC Cathaoirleach Deputy Brian Stanley said: “The Department of Health’s main role is to support the Minister and Ministers of State in the development and implementation of policy for health services. It also monitors the performance of health services including those delivered by the Health Service Executive (HSE). The bulk of Health expenditure relates to advances to the HSE for the provision of health services on a grant basis. Total voted expenditure for Health amounted to €21.7 billion in 2021.

“The main areas of interest for the Committee include the implementation of Slaintecare, emergency care in acute hospitals, waiting lists, mandatory hotel quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the handling of liabilities related to nursing home charges.

“The Committee will also examine the C&AG’s report on the financial impact of the cyber attack on the HSE in May 2021, which had a devastating impact on the delivery of health care at the time. Members would like to hear details of the costs to the HSE and the Department due to the attack, the measures taken since to repair the system, build resilience and prevent similar attacks in the future, and the process involved in notifying the individuals whose data was stolen during the attack.

“The Committee welcomes this opportunity to meet with Mr Watt and his colleagues and looks forward to examining these and related matters with them.”

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.