Pearse Doherty
Question:17. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the reason the restoration of pay to section 39 workers cannot be costed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13518/18]
View answerThursday, 19 April 2018
Questions (17)
Written answers
Under section 39 of the Health Act 2004, the HSE provides financial assistance to organisations by means of a grant. Section 39 legally underpins the provision of services similar or supplementary to a service that the HSE may provide. In 2017, the HSE provided funding of approximately €800 million to over 2,200 of these agencies. The funding provided can range from high value, in their millions, to relatively modest amounts of just a few hundred euro.
Staff in these organisations were not subject to the provisions of FEMPI legislation. They were not a party to the Public Service Agreements. As such, they are not covered by the pay restoration provided for in these Agreements. While it is understood that pay savings were made by the organisations, the precise mix of pay cuts or other savings measures will have varied. Also, where there were pay cuts, it is not at all clear that they were applied in a universally consistent manner, as is the case in the public sector. As a result, the cost of restoring pay will also vary between these organisations, depending on the actions taken.
Therefore, the Government has put in place a process to establish a deeper understanding of the funding position in these grant - aided organisations and the true extent of the pay reductions applied. I asked the HSE to engage with the Section 39 organisations to establish the facts around what cuts were applied and how and when they were implemented. When these facts are established, it will inform the assessment of the costs involved. A plan then needs to be developed in relation to possible solutions and their implementation.
I am expecting an interim report on this matter from the HSE in the coming weeks.