Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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491. To ask the Minister for Health the implications for agencies funded by his Department that fail to comply with consolidated public sector pay scales by continuing to make top-up payments to staff; when he expects this issue to be definitively resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10917/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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At my request, the HSE has taken urgent action to ensure Section 38 agencies which have been found to be in breach of health sector pay policy are brought into compliance.

Each Section 38 agency was asked to confirm by 31 January this year that they would sign up to the HSE’s new Compliance Statement process. The Compliance Statement includes confirmation that all staff are paid in accordance with the Department of Health’s consolidated salary scales.

The HSE has determined that 10 agencies are now fully compliant with Government pay policy.

A further 31 agencies have indicated that they will cooperate with the new Compliance Statement process and have submitted a total of 126 business cases to the HSE. The HSE has established a Review Panel to assess the merits of these cases by 31 March 2014.

St Vincent’s has committed to achieving full compliance with public pay policy by 31 March 2014 and I envisage that they will submit business cases to the HSE in due course.

The Central Remedial Clinic is engaged in a separate process.

Where the HSE is satisfied that there are legitimate reasons for the continuation of an allowance, these will be submitted to the Department of Health for sanction. The Department of Health will liaise as appropriate with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

I am not in a position to say when this process will be concluded however I can assure the Deputy that I am determined that the payment of unapproved allowances to senior executives will be eliminated in an expeditious manner.