THE CHAIR OF the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said that it is “outrageous” that Beaumont Hospital overspent €3 million of taxpayer money and failed to go to tender for a change in its payroll systems. 

This fact only emerged today as top management from the Dublin hospital, including its CEO Anne Coyle, appeared before PAC to explain its non-compliance with rules around the use of National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) money via a scheme to cut waiting lists. 

(Beaumont has repaid €25,000 to the NTPF that it had billed the public body for rheumatology waiting list services in error). 

The issue of the payroll operating service changeover in 2020 was raised at the meeting/

After Brady and Labour TD Eoghan Kenny questioned the hospital on the issue, it came to light that Beaumont spent €4.3 million on the process, which is far in excess of the €1.9 million cost that had been predicted for the project. 

The hospital did not flag the overspend in its submissions to PAC before appearing today.

PAC Chair John Brady told The Journal that it is “extraordinary” that there was no tendering process for the project. 

He stated that it shows a “lack of oversight and begs questions about the role of the [Beaumont Hospital] board when it comes to the spend on such projects”. 

The Sinn Féin TD said he has written to all departments and agencies that come before PAC about their past and present IT projects, asking them to flag any overspends. 

The C&AG drew the attention of PAC to Beaumont’s payroll systems changeover in 2020, but the full details of the overspend have only come to light five years later. 

Brady said the “chickens have come home to roost” on the issue, and that he now believes a comprehensive review on the delivery and spend on large-scale IT projects across the public sector is needed. 

Speaking in the meeting, Deputy Kenny said that it was a disgrace that the hospital had to be asked about the payroll systems issue for it to come to light.