Kenny describes PPARS as a financial disaster

PPARS, the human resources information system for the health service, is a financial disaster, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny claimed yesterday.

"I remind the Taoiseach that €144 million of hard-earned money went down the tubes in a system that underpays and misspends. It does everything except what it is supposed to do.

"In response to the matter, the Taoiseach said he would freeze the project, stop the rot and halt the waste. Neither the Taoiseach nor his Government did that, however.

"The Dáil was misled about that matter because he did not stop the project, nor did he stop the waste."

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said a unified system was required.

"It would have been great if the information technology experts working on this system had been able to get it right on day one."

Mr Ahern said a problem arose because conditions, rosters and terms differed among health boards. In the old system they did not even know how many people were working for the health boards.

Mr Kenny said he had a copy of an Astron Consulting report, a review of the project which was published in September. It concluded that the project was "badly-conceived" and "poorly-implemented".

The system, the report added, was "not stable yet" and reflected the old health board structure.

Mr Kenny said the report had stated that the ongoing costs were very high, with the Government spending €21 million this year and proposing to do the same next year.

"Nobody is responsible for the disappearance of €21 million down this black hole. Is this the financial engineering that the Minister for Finance spoke of?"

Mr Ahern said the PPARS system had already been implemented in six health service executive areas, so he was surprised that Mr Kenny was asking the Government to stop it.

"It is supporting the human resource records for 70,000 payroll staff and a large amount of other projects in those Health Service Executive areas.

"As I said last year, the further roll-out of the scheme, other than in the six areas where it is working, is on hold."

Mr Ahern said that the HSE did not exist when the PPARS project began.

When the HSE started, therefore, one had to take account of the new structure, which was only on its second year.

He added that the overall cost estimate for the project this year was €4.31 million, which was a recurring cost for the system as it was operating, including software, system-hosting and payroll support.

There was a figure of €15.18 million for HSE staff and technical consultancy staff.

He said those costs would continue to reduce as the system bedded in.

"Unfortunately, we have not found a way of bringing in a new system that does not involve staff, and they must be paid.

"There is also a once-off cost of €1.55 million for hardware and consultancy."

Mr Ahern said there had been difficulties with the PPARS system as "there have been with IT systems all over the world".

However, he added that it was unreasonable for Deputy Kenny to ask the HSE not to continue to bed down the new system.