Department spent €102m on health reports in 10 years

THE Department of Health has spent a massive €102 million on a series of published and unpublished reform reports over the past decade.

Figures detailed by the department have confirmed that over the past 10 years Health Minister Mary Harney and her predecessors, Micheál Martin and Brian Cowen, paid out the massive taxpayer-funded sum for 225 documents, some of which are yet to be implemented.

The highest expenses involved the €47m cost of the report into the accidental infection of haemophiliac patients with HIV and Hep C (1999); €553,493 for Strategic Options for the VHI board (2001); and the €1.8m spent on the SLAN lifestyle and attitudinal survey (2006).

Almost half of all the reports were commissioned between 2000 and 2004 by Micheál Martin, now Minister for Foreign Affairs, with the 99 documents signed off by the Cork-based senior cabinet official costing the state €17m.

For the 12 months in which Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s four-year health service reign was included in the figures, 1999, the official documentation shows a massive €49.4m was spent on 27 external reports – a cost inflated due to the €47m expense of the accidental infection of haemophiliac patients’ report.

Since taking up her position as the head of the health service in autumn 2004, a period framed by a series of swingeing frontline cuts, present minister Mary Harney has paid out €36m on 70 reports as part of her reform plans.

On releasing the official information to Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan, who had sought the details under a parliamentary question, Ms Harney stated that the high expenditure was vital to the “widespread reform, huge technological advances, service expansion and fundamental change” over the period.

However, describing the pay-out as failing to provide value for money to the public, Patients Together spokeswoman Janette Byrne said the high financial cost did not represent value for money.

“The general feeling with staff and people is that at this stage it is about reports about reports.

“Some of the reports are valuable, but others aren’t, and most people’s view would be that it’s time for the Government to be able to make decisions without having to spend a fortune,” she said.

News of the decade-long departmental health spend figure comes five months after the Irish Examiner revealed that the HSE has paid out over €51m on reports from outside consultancy firms since it was established in 2005.

In addition, large amounts of money have been paid out to outside human resources and public relations companies by HSE management – despite the health service already having the support of a series of public relations and human resources specialists.

In 2007, the Wilson Hartnell firm was paid €481,812 for “public relations support” to the HSE, a situation that was mirrored in the same year by the €17,500 paid out to Janet Hughes for similar public relations advice.