Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

29. To ask the Minister for Health in view of the recent revelations into the use of voluntary contributions and proceeds from shops and other facilities to top up the pay of chief executive officers and other officials within organisations covered by sections 38 and 39, if he will consider legislative or other measures to insist on capping of salary grades for persons within organisations as part of future funding arrangements from the State for such organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53974/13]

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

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. 2004. Staff of these organisations are public servants and are subject to 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.

Employees of Section 39 organisations are not public servants. They are not included in the HSE employment control ceiling, are not bound by the Department of Health Consolidated Salary Scales and are not members of a public service pension scheme. The Government, however is determined to ensure that public pay policy is respected across the health service and to that end, at my request, the Director General of the HSE has written to 353 Section 39 funded agencies in receipt of HSE funding of more than €250,000, requesting that they have due regard to public pay policy particularly in respect of senior managers .