29 health officials get €14.5m in payouts, pensions

SEVERAL of the HSE’s most senior managers received over €7 million in lump sum retirement packages as the economic crisis began to unfold — and have been given another €7.5m in pensions since leaving.

Documents obtained by the Irish Examiner under the Freedom of Information Act show the payouts were given to 29 senior officials between late 2005 and October 2009, just after the creation of NAMA.

The individuals, who the HSE has refused to name, were all above hospital consultant or senior management level. They include:

* A value-for-money director who received a once-off €137,662 payment to retire in September 2006 (€229,435 pension to date).

* Three senior finance officials who received a combined €476,643 in once-off payments between April 2007 and September 2009 (€456,365 combined pension to date).

* Six human resources directors who received €944,271 between June 2006 and October 2009 (€973,792 combined pension to date).

* A capital projects director who, since retiring on the eve of the September 2008 bank guarantee, has received a €165,470 golden handshake and €165,471 in pension payments.

In all, 19 senior officials shared a lump sum of over €3m, with payouts ranging from €77,550 to €221,979. The remaining 10 former Health Board chiefs executive, whose positions became obsolete after the establishment of the HSE, shared €4.12m in severance, ex gratia and retraining payments.

These 10 individuals have received a shared €4.11m in pensions since departing in late 2005 and early 2006.

While the HSE refused to provide a person-by-person breakdown of the costs, the largest payout to one member of this group involved a €274,200 golden handshake lump sum, an annual €91,400 pension and an ex-gratia payment also worth €91,400 for their work as a chief executive.

The 10 individuals are: Stiofáin de Burca (ex-Mid West Health Board); Denis Doherty (ex-HEBe); Pat Donnelly (ex-South Western Area Health Board); Martin Gallagher (ex-East Coast Area Health Board); Pat Gaughan (ex-Midland Health Board); Pat Harvey (ex-North West Health Board); Michael Lyons (ex-EHRA); Paul Robinson (ex-North Eastern Health Board); Dr Sheelagh Ryan (ex-Western Health Board); and Maureen Windle (ex-Northern Area Health Board)

A number of these former chiefs executive have since set up private health consultancy firms which perform taxpayer-funded HSE work.

While the Irish Examiner requested details on whether these lucrative consultancy contracts were tendered for — a legal requirement if the cost is over €50,000 — the HSE said this would only be provided after significant search and retrieval fees were paid.

The HSE said a similar request for details on learning contracts, whereby the taxpayer pays an official’s university fees, travel expenses and related expenditure for a work-related qualification, would cost €7,332.50.

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