Health managers to be allowed keep top-ups

Voluntary hospitals and health agencies did not act outside their powers when they made top-up payments to senior executives, the Office of the Attorney General has told the Government.

Most health managers receiving additional payments on top of official salary rates are expected to be allowed retain these on a personalised basis following talks later this week between the Department of Health and the HSE.

It is also expected about 30 people receiving the allowances unapproved by Government will be allowed to keep them.

However, it is thought that more than 30 allowances will not be approved.

Contracts

The Irish Times understands the Attorney General’s office advised that contracts between the HSE and voluntary hospitals and health agencies prior to January 2012 on how State funding should be spent did not make it completely clear they could not pay more than the official salary rates.

It is understood the office advised that as most voluntary hospitals and health agencies were not statutory bodies they were not acting ultra vires or beyond their powers in making payments above authorised levels before financial emergency legislation was enacted in 2010.

The most controversial case was the Central Remedial Clinic, where some public donations were being used to supplement executive pay.