James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 31 together.

As the Deputy is aware, the HSE's internal audit report on remuneration in health service providers funded under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004 has found that there are a variety of unapproved payments being made to senior managers. Staff of these organisations are public servants and are subject to Government pay policy.

The HSE Internal Audit has indicated that the CEO referred to by the Deputy is in receipt of two allowances, one for managing another location and one for assisting with fundraising for the organisation.

The HSE has a team of senior managers following up with all of the disability organisations and hospitals, including the agency referred to in the Deputy's question, to ensure that a clear plan to achieve full compliance with health sector pay policy is developed with each agency.

As set out in the pay policy, if an organisation wishes to make a business case for the continuation of an unapproved allowance, it is open to it to do so and any such cases will be considered by the HSE (with the involvement of my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, as necessary).

While this process is underway it would not be appropriate for me to comment on an individual case. As stated previously, these issues are being examined on a case by case basis and it is important that due process is followed.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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13. To ask the Minister for Health if he will confirm that he and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform approved a salary package for a former CEO of a Dublin hospital which ensured that when they took up a post as CEO of Health Service Executive hospitals in the west they were remunerated on the basis of their former CEO salary plus top-up; if this arrangement has been investigated in the internal audit into top-ups ordered by him; if any other such arrangements have been entered into by him and or his colleague; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54118/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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In late 2011 the HSE identified an urgent need to put in place appropriate management arrangements for the Galway and Roscommon hospitals, in view of the need to address critical service difficulties that had been identified in the hospitals concerned. Serious problems of a long standing nature had been identified in managing scheduled and unscheduled care. Similar difficulties had arisen in the Midwestern Regional Hospitals (Limerick/Nenagh/Ennis) and an existing senior HSE manager was assigned to this post. Despite the best efforts of the HSE it had not been possible to attract senior managers with the requisite expertise to run the hospitals. For that reason individual senior managers were identified from within the system to take on new Group CEO roles for a period.

An individual was identified as the most appropriate person to take on the role of Chief Executive of the Galway/Roscommon hospital group, on a secondment basis for three years from his position as Chief Operations Officer of a major Dublin Hospital. Following a request by my Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform approved this secondment on a personal-to-holder basis. The remuneration package reflected the level at which the individual was being remunerated in respect of his duties in the public hospital and additional work undertaken separately for an associated private hospital.

This arrangement was approved as an exceptional matter and did not represent a change in overall public service pay policy.