Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have an opportunity to raise this important issue. Over the weekend, people will have read astonishing revelations concerning executives in the St. John of God organisation who were paid €1.64 million. Some of the individuals in question received €50,000, while others received €250,000. I worked for St. John of God services for two and a half years, during which I met the best, most dedicated and fantastic people I have every worked with. I also met many fantastic family members of service users and the experience put me in good stead.

There is something rotten about these revelations. The chief executive of St. John of God services is paid €182,000 per annum or six times more than the average worker in the organisation. When one delves into the issue, one is shocked by what one discovers. St. John of God services, which received €130 million last year, signed a service level agreement which states that the organisation must not pay or subsidise salaries or expenses which exceed those normally paid within the public sector. There is something rotten when the chief executive of a voluntary body such as St. John of God services is paid such an extraordinary amount of money when the service level agreement stipulates that no member of staff in the organisation should be paid more than €110,000 per annum.

Why is taxpayers' money being allocated to St. John of God services when its executives are being paid such extraordinary amounts? Taxpayers subsidise the health service and the voluntary bodies working in the sector. What does the Government propose to do about this issue? Action must be taken because the problem is not confined to St. John of God services. The same issue arose regarding the Central Remedial Clinic and Rehab in recent years. Having worked in the service, I believe many people will be enraged by recent developments, especially given recent cutbacks in St. John of God services, for example, the closure of St. Raphael's unit in Celbridge. It is outrageous that this has been allowed to happen. I hope the Minister of State will respond.

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