PAUL CULLEN
Health Correspondent
Former Rehab chief executive Angela Kerins spent 10 days in hospital after becoming unwell following her appearance before the Dail Public Accounts Committee in February, according to her lawyers.
Ms Kerins is recovering, but is not well enough to come before the committee as a witness “at this time”, they say in a letter to the committee.
In a strongly-worded attack on the conduct of the committee’s hearings into Rehab, Eames Solicitors say they are “frankly appalled” by its conduct and accuse members of making “gratuitous and prejudicial remarks” about witnesses to the media.
“It demeans the standing and authority of the committee that members conduct themselves in this manner,” the letter states. Accusing the committee of a “manifest lack of fairness” in the conduct of its affairs, it says the Dail Committee on Procedure and Privileges will be asked to examine where a perception of bias could arise on the part of members.
In recent months, the Public Accounts Committee has been investigating pay, pensions and bonuses for senior figures at Rehab, which receives €82 million in State money each year. This week, it signalled it will apply to the Oireachtas for a compellability order to require Ms Kerins and another former chief executive, Frank Flannery, to appear before it.
Lawyers for Mr Flannery have also attacked the committee, claiming it is acting outside its jurisdiction. “It is clear that . . . some members of the committee, including its chairman John McGuinness, are carrying out a witch-hunt and personal vendetta against my client with a view to discrediting him in the eyes of the public and with the intention of damaging him in his business relationship with other parties,” the letter from Dore & Co to the committee states.
According to the letter, Mr Flannery will neither accept nor decline an invitation to appear as a witness until a formal legal invitation is issued to him which clearly identifies the issues the committee wishes to inquire into.
Current Rehab chairman Brian Kerr, in a letter sent to the committee on Wednesday, said the group had made significant efforts to get permission from individuals to waive their rights and permit disclosure of information. Senior management had provided this permission and the information had been provided.
Mr Kerr said the only outstanding issues were Rehab’s ability to disclose personal information about former chief executives and any further details about complaints or investigations that may be under consideration in relation to former employees. “In relation to each of these matters, we regret that we are not in a position to provide any further details or consents to the committee, as we are constrained by data protection law.”
Mr Flannery and Ms Kerins told Rehab they would not permit disclosure of any information about their pay or pension provision, he said, and as a result Rehab did not have their consent to disclose their information.
Among the information newly disclosed by Rehab to the committee are the details of salaries of senior managers in two subsidiaries, Rehabcare and National Learning Network. At Rehabcare, these include a director of health and social care earning €150,000 a year, a general manager on €102,000 and a support services manager on €105,820.
At National Learning Network, a director of training and employment services is paid €150,000, a director of operations is paid €104,052 and a director of business development and strategic partnerships earns €100,000.
