Statement by Jim Allister MLA
“It is disappointing to learn that £5.7m of public money was not subject to proper procurement control and has been labelled as ‘potential malpractice’.
“It is indicative of the general disregard towards public money that this was not identified through internal checks and balances, but it took a whistleblower to expose the extent of the problem. Health Service Management have a lot to answer for, and lot to do before public confidence can be gained.
“It is simply unacceptable and lessons need to be learned.
“While it is a sad state of affairs it does highlight how vital whistleblowers can be in exposing malpractice and why everything should be done in order to protect those coming forward with such information and to encourage others to do likewise.”