Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

17. To ask the Minister for Health after the revelations of top up payments in the Central Remedial Clinic, if he intends to hold an investigation into this practice in all agencies and services under the Health Service Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54100/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I have initiated this process arising from the HIQA report into Tallaght. I requested that the HSE conduct an Internal Audit of all Section 38 funding recipients. As a result of this audit and as has been reported extensively, a considerable number of funding recipients have been found to be in breach of Government pay policy with regard to the remuneration of senior staff.

I have no plans to establish an independent inquiry into the practice of top-up payments to senior executives in all agencies and services under the Health Service Executive.

I have requested urgent action to ensure that every agency is fully compliant with Government pay policy.

The HSE has a team of senior managers following up with individual agencies and the Director General of the HSE met with the Chairpersons and the CEOs of all the Section 38 organisations last Thursday. That meeting focused on the requirement of the Board of each Agency to further strengthen governance standards and set out the new requirement to furnish the HSE with a Compliance Statement from the current financial year and for each year thereafter. This statement will have to be approved by the Board of each Agency on an annual basis, signed by the Chairman and another Director on behalf of the Board and submitted to the HSE together with the organisation’s Annual Audited Accounts. This Annual Compliance Statement will be required in addition to the annual Service Agreement between the Agency and the HSE.

Further and separate meetings are being held by senior HSE managers with all of the disability organisations and hospitals concerned this week to ensure that a clear plan to achieve full compliance with health sector pay policy is developed with each agency.

As indicated above the HSE is urgently meeting individual agencies and it is important that due process is followed.