The Dáil spending watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), has provisionally set December 15th for the first public hearing into how €150 million was spent on the PPARS computerised payroll system for the health services, which has since suspended its operation.
The chief executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE), Brendan Drumm, and the secretary general of the Department of Health, Michael Scanlan, are expected to be called before the committee on that date.
The chairman of the PAC, Michael Noonan (FG), said last night it has not finalised its examination of the health service vote for 2004 pending an examination of the PPARs issue and another value-for-money report drawn up by the Comptroller and Auditor General on the disposal of hospital waste.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, John Purcell, is expected to complete his value-for-money report on the PPARS project by the beginning of December. This will then be sent to the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive.
The Department of Health has 90 days to lay the report before the Oireachtas.
However, highly placed political sources said last night that the Department of Health would come under strong pressure to release the report in time for the scheduled Public Accounts Committee hearing.
The board of the HSE last month decided to suspend the further roll-out of the PPARS programme pending a formal review of the project.
This is currently being carried out in association with the Department of Health and the Department of Finance.
The PPARS system was designed to provide the former health boards with a common payroll and human resources system.
However, the costs involved soared from an initial estimate of €9 million for the project. The health service has to date paid out nearly €150 million on the project.
However, only around one-third of health personnel are covered by the new system.
The Irish Times revealed earlier this month that the external consultants Deloitte had been paid around €60 million in fees for work carried out on both PPARS and its sister project, FISP.
The HSE has also suspended work on FISP, which aimed to provide a central budget and financial management system for health services.
