Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 December 2013
371. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the measures he is taking to increase the transparency and accountability of State-funded agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54965/13]
View answerI would like to emphasise the high priority that I and the Ministers of State at the Department of Health are according to improving governance within all organisations in the health sector.
One of the fundamental reasons for the major Health Reform Programme now being delivered on is to enhance accountability across the whole health system, improve its governance and to deliver more cost effective quality safe services that deliver best outcomes for the patients and the public we serve.
I have recently established a Governance Forum for the Health Sector to support and help Chairs, Board members and CEOs to fulfil their accountability and governance roles. My Department will be insisting on structured induction programmes for all new Board members and a system of independent regular governance audits.
As part of these new induction programmes it will be made clear to new Board members of Section 38 agencies that they have no discretion to make extra payments to staff which are not encompassed by and in line with the Department’s consolidated salary scales. All health sector agencies will be encouraged to publish details of payments, whether salary or otherwise, to all senior managers and senior clinicians in their annual reports and to make details easily accessible on websites.
All State agencies under the aegis of, or funded by, the Department of Health are also subject to the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies issued by the Department of Finance and the Framework for Corporate and Financial Governance issued by the Department of Health. Line Units within the Department with governance responsibility for individual agencies meet regularly throughout the year with the agencies concerned to monitor compliance in this regard.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) funds a range of service providers under section 38 or section 39 of the Health Act 2004. The staff in bodies funded under Section 38 of the Health Act, 2004 are classified as public servants and are subject to the standard salary scales for the health sector as well as having public service pension schemes and being counted in public service employment numbers. Employees of agencies that receive grants from the HSE under Section 39 are not public servants and are not specifically subject to the salary scales approved for public servants.
The HSE itself is also committed to the development of effective working relationships in line with the provisions of the Health Act 2004 and significant progress has been made in improving the governance and management framework between the HSE and voluntary service providers. A Register of Non-Statutory Agencies covering Service Arrangements and Grant Aid Agreements is in operation. This provides information on Agencies and facilitates the maintenance of key data on funding arrangements including compliance with requirements under the HSE's formalised national governance framework to manage the funding provided to voluntary organisations. These Governance Documents provide a national standard consistent with the application of good governance and are subject to regular review.
In 2013 an additional information return was also added to all Service Arrangements, both Section 38 and 39, requiring agencies to separately report on all individual staff paid at Grade 8 level equivalent or above, detailing their salary including allowances and any other benefits paid. The HSE’s internal audit service also provides audit reviews of Agencies either on an individual Agency basis, a sample basis, or across a range of agencies on a specific topic such as the recent Section 38 Agencies Remuneration Audit. The results of these audits have influenced the documentation reviews and also recommendations relating to management structures and corporate processes.
