James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is important to be clear that an appointed director will not receive any additional remuneration by virtue of the appointment to the directorate. An appointed director will be remunerated for his or her substantive post of national director or other senior grade. Posts at national director level in the HSE are senior management positions which encompass significant responsibilities and accountability. These senior managers will collectively be responsible for managing a budget of approximately €13 billion and staff of almost 100,000 people. They will be expected to achieve significant savings and system reform. In these circumstances and cognisant of Government policy on public service pay, the posts have been approved at national director level 2, with a salary of €158,296. That salary level, as with other salary levels in the public service, has been reduced in recent years.

The remuneration package for the director general must reflect the fact that the position encompasses significant and onerous responsibilities. As well as chairing the directorate, the director general will be responsible for the management and control of the HSE. The director general will also be required to ensure the achievement of national performance targets, prepare the HSE for further change and deliver on Government reform plans for the sector. Having regard for current Government pay policy, the cap on public sector salaries of €200,000 and the need for appropriate headroom between the levels of senior management, the intended salary level for the post is €195,000, subject to final agreement with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. It must be noted that this salary is significantly lower than the salary levels paid to previous HSE chief executive officers, which were upwards of €300,000 per annum plus additional benefits.

The Deputy is quite right that I will not be accepting the amendment.