Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 June 2014
167. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if the Government policy in relation to the payment of top-ups to public servants and those whose salaries are primarily funded by the State has changed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26262/14]
View answerMy Department issued Circular 11/2013 on compliance with health sector pay policy, making it clear that bodies funded under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004 shall not pay nor subsidise salaries which exceed those normally paid within the public sector and may not supplement approved rates of remuneration with either Exchequer funding or non-Exchequer sources of funding. At my request, the HSE has taken urgent action to ensure Section 38 agencies which have been found to be in breach of this policy are brought into compliance.
Following consultation between the agencies and the HSE, a substantial number of Section 38 Agencies submitted business cases seeking retention of unapproved allowances.
An Internal HSE Review Panel communicated their decisions in April on the business cases that were made to them by the Section 38 organisations. The vast majority of the business cases were rejected. It is anticipated that in advance of 1 July 2014 a number of agencies will seek approval to ‘red-circle’ remuneration arrangements on behalf of a number of Senior Managers on a personal to holder basis where there is explicit evidence of entitlement of the individual recipients by virtue of their employment contractual rights. On receipt of such requests the HSE will review the documentation and where appropriate seek formal approval from the Department of Health who will liaise, as appropriate, with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, in accordance with Circular 11/2013. On the completion of the compliance process, a final report detailed by agency will be provided, at which time it is expected that all agencies will have demonstrated full compliance with Government pay policy.
