Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 20 June 2013
Public Accounts Committee
2009 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 37 - SKILL Programme (Resumed)
2010 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 41 - Partnership Arrangements in the Health Service
Special Report No. 80 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Administration of National Health and Local Authority Levy Fund
2:30 pm
Mr. Tony O'Brien:
There is no evidence to support the suggestion here this morning that in some way the HSE engaged in an information campaign against SIPTU. If SIPTU has any evidence it should bring it to me and I will take action on it. It is unfortunate that this may be an attempt to deflect from the fact that SIPTU staff must have been aware of the existence of the levy fund. Of the €422,000 in grants paid from the levy fund account to trade unions from 2002 to 2010, approximately €68,000 was paid to SIPTU nationally and some of its branches on cheques marked SIPTU levy fund account. While it is clear that there is some confusion around that matter it is wrong to suggest SIPTU was placed in a difficult position by some mythical smear campaign initiated by the HSE, since none existed.
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