As an uncompromising atheist, Roy Hattersley is an unlikely candidate to tell the story of the Catholic Church in Ireland and Britain, but he does so in masterly style, as Michael Duggan discovers 

A CONSULTANT’S report on the jettisoned Payroll, Personnel and Related Services (PPARS) system in 2002 said it had the potential to save the health services tens of millions of euro in tackling absenteeism, retention and productivity.