Sir, – The decision of the Minister for Health to order an examination of HSE spending on personal protective equipment (PPE) is to be welcomed, in light of the news that at one stage such expenditure exceeded authorised levels by as much as €120 million ("Minister orders full audit into how HSE buys and uses PPE", News, December 10th).
However, the news that the HSE is “engaging with the Office of Government Procurement in relation to a tender process to appoint an appropriate body to conduct the audit” smacks of the Sir Humphrey approach to urgent action, not least as the audit is not expected to be commenced until “the first quarter of next year”.
Is there any good reason why such an audit cannot be entrusted to the State’s own public spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General? – Yours, etc,
TIM O’LEARY,
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Cabinteely,
Dublin 18.