26 Nov 2013, 15:31
Top-up payments made to senior voluntary hospital executives will be on the agenda of the Committee of Public Accounts when Tony O'Brien, Director General of the Health Service Executive comes before the Committee tomorrow Wednesday, 27th November 2013.
Committee Chairman John McGuinness TD said: “The HSE will be in attendance on Wednesday to discuss the issue of unsanctioned salary payments, allowances and perks in Section 38 agencies, which received almost €1.6 billion in HSE funding in 2012.
The HSE provided the PAC with a copy of a report prepared by the HSE’s Internal Audit section at the meeting on medical cards on 14th November. Since then, there has been a large amount of media coverage and public concern over the issues raised in the report.
The report found that €3.224 million is paid annually on unsanctioned pay and allowances funded from HSE sources to 191 senior managers. The report also found that 13, or 28%, of Section 38 agencies pay additional remuneration or benefits from private sources. This totalled €912,472 annually.
For example, unsanctioned allowances paid include the following:
• Clinical Directors Allowances paid to 33 persons at a total cost of €1.1 million.
• Health & Income Continuance Insurances totalling €49,948
• Motor Allowances totalling €90,387
• Allowances for additional responsibility totalling €304,718.
The HSE has known about these payments since 2008, but it appears to be an issue that has been dealt with in a haphazard way by the HSE. Our Committee will want to ascertain why the HSE continued to fund agencies where it had evidence that pay was being supplemented. We will be looking for assurances that the HSE is now in control of this issue, in particular the steps that have been taken with the 24 agencies that are not in compliance and if the HSE has sought meetings with the Boards and the CEOs of these agencies. Going forward, we will want to know what new oversight procedures will be put in place to ensure that all agencies in receipt of HSE funding comply with public pay policy and how the HSE will monitor compliance.”
This meeting will start in Committee Room 1 at 3pm, Wednesday, 27th November 2013.
Committee proceedings can be followed live here.
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Committee of Public Accounts Membership
John McGuinness (Chairman)
Kieran O’Donnell (Vice Chairman)
Paul J Connaughton,
John Deasy,
Áine Collins
Gerald Nash,
Simon Harris,
Michael McCarthy,
Mary Lou McDonald,
Sean Fleming,
Eoghan Murphy,
Derek Nolan,
Shane Ross