Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the opportunity to raise the issue following a report which appeared in The Irish Timesrecently, which showed that the number of senior management staff in acute hospitals has increased from 273 in 2011 to 303 in 2014. That is a rise of 11%.

The number of senior managers has increased by that amount over the three and a half years even though there has been a significant reduction in the budgets over the same period. According to an internal HSE report, the increase took place at a time when the number of nursing and support staff reduced. The report was presented by the HSE to a joint committee chaired by an official in the Taoiseach’s office. The committee includes a representative from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Health. The reason the group exists is because the Taoiseach decided more than a year ago to take “a hands-on approach” to the dysfunctional Department of Health. That was the beginning of the process to side-step the Minister of the day. The Taoiseach has ultimately seen that through and we have a new Minister. Perhaps the new Minister will be able to rescue the Department of Health from the Department of the Taoiseach.

This is one issue I know the Minister will wish to raise himself. He will want to know why there is an increase in the number of white-collar staff at the expense of nurses and doctors in white coats. I would like the Minister to respond to a point. I am told a number of hospital managers have made requests for top-up payments and that 85 cases have been referred to the Department of Health for a decision. Could the Minister provide an update not just on the increased numbers, but the requests for top-up payments for managers as well?

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