Reilly paid six outside advisers €131k

Embattled Health Minister James Reilly was under renewed fire last night for paying outside advisers €21,000 each for just six weeks’ work, despite ordering drastic cuts to frontline services for the disabled.

The revelation comes as the HSE scrambles to impose huge cutbacks in a bid to head off a €500m overspend by year end.

The six advisers brought in to look at restructuring the primary care reimbursement scheme and the regional directors of operations will receive more than €21,000 each under a contract with PA Consulting worth €131,000 plus Vat.

After an embarrassing climbdown over his bid to cut €10m from personal assistant care for disabled and older people, Dr Reilly insisted €17m in cuts to frontline services such as home helpers would stand. On Prime Time last night the minister said he tried to tell disability rights campaigners before they spent the night outside the Dáil that he was likely to reconsider personal assistant cuts, but his comments had been “lost in the noise”.

Fianna Fáil’s Billy Kelleher said the money spent on advisers was unjustifiable and should be channelled to disabled care instead.

“This is a huge waste of money at a time when frontline services are being cut. Surely, with the HSE and the health department merging, they have more than enough experts within the two organisations themselves and do not need to go outside for help?”

The high cost of consultants comes despite the minister insisting the Government needs to find at least €850m in savings from next year’s health budget.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny moved to offer the crisis-hit minister some backing by insisting Dr Reilly should be “admired” and was “courageous” to reverse the cuts to personal assistance care which sparked public uproar and rocked the Coalition.

“He is to be admired for doing so quickly and effectively, and ending the confusion and the fear.”

Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said the remark was proof the Taoiseach was still living in “the silly season” because Dr Reilly deserved to be sacked for “incompetence” as he was the one who caused the confusion and fear in the first place.

In a signal that the row over cutbacks was still simmering within the Government, junior minister Michael Ring broke ranks, insisting Dr Reilly needed to review the cut in the number of hours provided to vulnerable families by home helpers. Mr Kenny said the cut would stand, but new applicants would be “fully assessed” to see if they required support.

Asked to comment onthe cost of the consultants, a Department of Health spokesperson said: “PA Consultants are undertaking an enormous amount of work, regarded as critical to the future of the health service.”

As concern mounted over threats to cut the €75m free travel budget for elderly and disabled people, and their carers, Social Protection Minister Joan Burton insisted the scheme needed to be retained.