The Government has denied claims that it plans to hire additional consultants to review the work of other consultants on major computer projects, as part of a major overhaul of the vetting of spending on high-cost IT systems.
The denial came as it emerged that yet another health computer project was suspended after fundamental questions arose about its functioning and cost.
Plans for a new health portal website and online facility to enable consumers to access health information were dropped in February after up to €3 million had been spent on its development. It has now been replaced by a much smaller and less ambitious project which will cost less than €250,000.
Yesterday Fine Gael, which raised the issue in the Dáil, said that the website had never been up and running and accused the minister for health at the time, Micheál Martin, of launching the project and its website at an EU conference in Cork in May 2004, at a time when it did not exist.
Yesterday, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said that the Department of Health also claimed in July 2004 that the portal was "up and running".
"But the portal is not up and running. It doesn't exist," Mr Kenny said. "The €3 million of taxpayers' money spent on the project resulted in one photoshoot and no website."
Yesterday a spokeswoman for Mr Martin said he was announcing the launch of a concept and that a portal would be developed, rather than the portal itself.
Yesterday in the Dáil, Minister for Health Mary Harney said the revised website project would not go ahead until it had been vetted and approved by herself and her staff. The Government also announced plans for a new watchdog procedure to vet major information and communication technology projects in the future.
It followed last week's revelations on the spending of nearly €130 million on the PPARs and FISP systems in the health services. Development of both systems was suspended last Thursday after major concerns about their quality and effectiveness.
It also emerged that one consultancy firm, Deloitte, was paid €60 million for its services on the project. The Government decided at yesterday's Cabinet meeting that it would establish a "peer review system" for major IT projects, which will involve experts from across the public service assessing projects to prevent spending waste and the development of systems that cannot be used.
Outside experts may also be asked to assist in such reviews.
Yesterday in the Dáil, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte claimed the plan meant it would lead to further consultants being asked to examine projects. "That really should put the tin hat on it," he said.
Yesterday, Government officials said outside expertise did not mean the use of outside consultants and might include academics and other independent experts.
A Government spokesman said that in future Ministers would be required to ensure that guidelines on the hiring of outside consultants were being applied and that all such expenditure was necessary.
He denied there was any difference in approach between Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrat Ministers. On Friday, Ms Harney said she would from now on personally vet any plans to hire outside consultants in her department, before the tendering process began.
A Government spokesman said the provisions announced yesterday meant that Ministers would be making themselves personally responsible for ensuring that spending in their departments on outside consultancy contracts was appropriate and necessary.