HSE staff claimed €260m in expenses
HEALTH Service Executive (HSE) staff have claimed more than €260m in expenses over the past four years.
The sums include thousands of euro claimed by former chief executive Brendan Drumm and other senior HSE officials.
The amounts involved were revealed when database information was published yesterday on the transparency and information sharing website thestory.ie.
The website used freedom of information rules to obtain details of every expense claimed by HSE staff between January 2007 and June of this year.
Mileage, parking, road tolls, public transport, subsistence, accommodation and other expenses claimed added up to €260,450,676.
Prof Drumm, who stepped down as HSE chief during the summer, claimed over €4,000 in expenses between 2008 and 2010. Other members of the HSE's senior management team also made claims.
They included:
- Liam Woods, the HSE's director of finance, who claimed €30,000 between 2007 and the middle of this year.
- Brian Gilroy, national director for reconfiguration, who claimed €22,700 in the same period.
- Laverne McGuinness, national director for performance and finance, who claimed €15,300 in the same period.
- Sean McGrath, human resources director, who has claimed €6,000 since 2008.
- Paul Connors, national director for communication, who has claimed €6,000 since the beginning of 2009.
The exact nature of the expenses incurred was not revealed and only the amounts involved were listed.
In a statement accompanying the released information, the HSE said it had strict governance arrangements in place for the control and containment of expenditure.
Duties
"The HSE employs a wide range of staff, including doctors, nurses, dentists, social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, administrative and other support staff," the statement said.
"Staff members in the course of their duties may be required to travel and are reimbursed at rates approved by the Department of Finance."
The statement added: "The key elements of the regulations governing the reimbursement of these expenses are communicated regularly to all staff and are monitored and reviewed as appropriate."
The HSE, which has 110,000 staff and a budget of almost €14bn, processed 216,200 expenses claims from staff last year.
A number of board members also claimed expenses. They included former HSE chairman Liam Downey, who claimed €7,500 between 2007 and 2009.
- Shane Phelan Investigative Correspondent
Irish Independent
