Charity boss who hit out at cuts is entitled to €11k car allowance

A charity for people with intellectual disabilities told the HSE its chief executive is contractually entitled to keep his €11,829 car allowance while, at the same time, he wrote to services’ users about the impact of budget cuts.

Denis Cronin, chief executive of the Daughters of Charity Services, earns a salary of €136,282, according to a HSE review of business cases made for salaries and allowances to managers in Section 38 health agencies supported by the State.

In a Christmas message, he had thanked volunteers, parents, and friends of the charity who “recognise the difficult economic situation and acknowledge that, as an organisation, we are striving to provide the best possible service with reduced resources”.

The charity provides supports in the Dublin, Limerick and North Tipperary/ Offaly. In the Christmas newsletter, Mr Cronin also said: “Budget cuts and staff embargoes have dominated much of my time as CEO, and it had consequential effects on service users, families, and staff.

“It has been a very difficult year to manage, and to provide the level and quality of services that people would like and deserve in this day and age.”

Weeks earlier, at the start of December 2013, Mr Cronin wrote to all families of people who use its services and to those who support it, regarding controversies surrounding payments in the charity sector.

“As you will be aware, there has been a lot of controversy in the media in recent weeks in relation to pay and pensions for senior management in charitable organisations,” he wrote

Without stating his own salary, he said: “I would like to make it clear that all senior managers within the Daughters of Charity network are paid salaries that have been agreed by and in accordance with HSE salary scales. There are no ‘top ups’ being made to the salaries or pensions of any member of staff.”

The HSE has ordered his car allowance be ceased despite the charity’s business case there are “contractual obligations” to maintain it. The HSE also recommends a “sizing” of his salary to ensure it reflects comparable rates paid elsewhere.