I am very happy to second Senator John Crown's amendment. He has expressed the issue of urgency very clearly.

Creidim féin gur chóir don Aire sinsireach teacht isteach, mar tá ceist tromchúiseach eile ardaithe anois faoi bhronnadh na gconarthaí le haghaidh seirbhísí a sholáthar do na hospidéil san iarthar. I would like the Minister for Health to come to the House himself because I also want him to address the serious concerns that have been raised in the media and by others about the award of contracts for the provision of information technology services to the group of hospitals in the HSE north-west region, recently rebranded Saolta. The contract to provide these services was awarded to Northgate plc, a British company, and the value of the contract has not been disclosed by the HSE, but The Irish Times has reported that a senior member of management with Saolta was previously a consultant with that company. It is also clear from that The Irish Times report that Northgate was the only company invited to bid for this contract.

We have a problem which has arisen before in relation to this hospital group and the tendering for contracts. This hospital group includes - Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh raised this issue previously - major hospitals in Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon and Galway. Previously there was a contract for a report on the provision of maternity services. Again, only one body or group was invited to tender for it and that organisation had an association with the then chairman of the hospital group. It was on foot of that, it appears, that this chairman resigned. In order to maintain public confidence in the management of these major hospitals, the Minister for Health must address certain key questions in the House. What was the value of the contract for IT services? In the light of that value, did the tendering processes follow correct procedure? Was the Department of Health and the then Minister aware of the possible tendering anomalies to which I am referring in the context of Northgate plc when the other issue was raised previously in the Seanad? If so, why was no advertence made to that fact? The Minister gave an assurance that there would be no further breaches in procurement matters. If the Minister knew at that time that there had already been a significant breach, a serious issue is raised by his not adverting to that fact. If it happened subsequently, what does that say about the attitude of this particular hospital group to the question of appropriate tendering and procurement requirements? It would raise questions if there was any conflict of interest or commercial connection between any member of senior management of those hospitals-----

It might be more appropriate to raise that issue on the Adjournment.

I am asking for the Minister to come to the House because if there was any commercial connection, whether as a consultant at any stage or whatever, between any member of senior management of those hospitals and the company that received the contract, it would raise serious issues. The current CEO is due to finish his term as CEO of the north west hospital group, Saolta, at the end of this year and he is due to go on to the north-eastern region. If there were any issue here, it would raise questions about his ability to transfer to that role.

The Senator is way over time.

At the very least, it seems that there would have to be a suspension of the appointment until there was full clarity that nothing inappropriate has taken place. I ask the Leader to bring the Minister here. I would be delighted if he would address Senator John Crown's serious issue, but there is a serious issue of-----

Is the Senator seconding the amendment?

I am seconding Senator John Crown's amendment and asking the Leader if the Minister for Health could come to the House to discuss the serious issue I have raised.