Health chief’s pay package defended

THE Government has defended breaking its own strict pay guidelines to head-hunt a health service chief, arguing that the job requirements justify the high salary.

Top-level public servants have demanded an immediate pay review after it was revealed that new Health Service Executive chief executive Professor Aidan Halligan will receive €335,000 a year plus a 25% performance bonus.

This is almost double the €185,000 paid to the head of the Department of Health, Michael Kelly. Dubliner Professor Halligan, at present deputy chief medical officer for England, will manage a €10 billion budget and 96,000 staff.

Yesterday, Health Minister Micheál Martin argued the package awarded to Prof Halligan was not unique.

“It is not unprecedented for someone in the semi-state sector to get over and above what the secretary general of a department gets and obviously, when you go out into the marketplace, you may have to pay more.”

He conceded Prof Halligan’s remuneration could cause disquiet among public servants, but said the Government was “going all-out” to make sure its programme for health reform was a success.

He said the salary offered was agreed by the Cabinet’s health committee. This was despite a Department of Finance warning earlier this year that difficulties may arise with other public servants if Prof Halligan’s salary was set too high.

The Association of Assistant Secretaries, which represents senior civil servants, is seeking a pay review. The association said the fact that the Government had to break its own pay guidelines to entice Prof Halligan showed that senior public servants were underpaid relative to what they could expect to earn in the private sector.

Prof Halligan will not take up his post until April, even though the HSE is due to take over the running of the health service in January. Mr Martin yesterday confirmed he expected Prof Halligan to commence work on April 1. He said the interim chair of the HSE, Kevin Kelly, was confident the HSE would “go live” in January.

The reform programme has already led to the abolition of the health boards, to be replaced by four regional health offices. Mr Martin said he expects to announce the geographical boundaries of the new health regions this week. He said community care areas would play a strong role in the delivery of primary care services, as well as services to the elderly and the disabled. Mr Martin refused to comment on whether he would remain on as health minister to oversee the reform plan.