Demand for clinic board to quit over top-ups

The board of the Central Remedial Clinic is facing calls to resign immediately, after the disability organisation admitted to using money donated by the public to top up the salaries of some of its highest earners.

James Reilly, the health minister, has been urged to intervene after it emerged that the funding arm of the organisation — Friends and Supporters of the CRC — is still being used to supplement the State salaries of a number of staff members.

The admission was made after earlier revelations that the fundraising company had a surplus of €14m at the end of last year.

A spokeswoman for the CRC — one of dozens of agencies and facilities embroiled in the top-ups fiasco — said the company’s funds have been used to pay any additional salary amounts over the department’s pay scales. She said this has been taking place since before 2009, when the department and HSE first became aware of nine senior managers receiving the de facto second salaries.

Five of these individuals are still working at the CRC and receiving extra funds, which were meant to be spent on improving disability services for more than 4,000 children and adults.

Paul Kiely — who retired as chief executive last year — received a top-up salary of €116,949, an allowance of €19,016 and pension contributions of €29,000.

This was on top of the HSE salary of €106,900 for Mr Kiely — a one-time tallyman and friend of former taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

In follow-up questions from the Irish Examiner, the spokeswoman failed to clarify who the nine individuals now receiving the top-ups are, how much they received, when the practice began, who first allowed it, and if people donating money through the charity are aware how their funds are spent.

Independent TD Shane Ross, who revealed details of the company accounts of Friends and Supporters of CRC at the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee, last night called for the “immediate resignation” of the CRC’s board of directors.

He said the organisation had admitted to using money from its fundraising arm “to line the pockets of its top earners” and called on the HSE to review its State funding, which was €16.6m last year.

Labour TD Robert Dowds, who worked with the CRC before being elected to the Dáil in 2011, said he was surprised to hear of the existence of the Friends of the CRC charity, and its €14m surplus. The PAC member said Dr Reilly and Education Minister Ruairi Quinn should write to the CRC “and ask them to explain themselves”.