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Updated 20:14
THE CENTRAL REMEDIAL Clinic (CRC) pays the Mater Hospital around €660,000 to administer a pension fund that does not exist, the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee has heard.
Towards the end of an extraordinary nearly six hours of hearings on the recent scandal surrounding the CRC, its former chief executive Paul Kiely claimed that the Mater Hospital charges the clinic for administering a non-existent pension fund.
He explained that the CRC pays the Mater a premium between 10 and 13 per cent of employees’ gross salaries every year for the public hospital to administer a Voluntary Hospitals Superannuated Scheme or VHSS pension scheme.
Kiely also claimed that he has been told in correspondence that the CRC is not the only organisation that the Mater does this for.
“They [the Mater] charge us that for administering the fund on behalf of the members,” he said, but added “there’s no fund that I know of” to the astonishment of members.
Ross, who initially raised the issue of the CRC’s relationship with the Mater, said the public hospital was essentially “charging €660,000 for administering a phantom fund”.
Kiely told the PAC that he raised the issue with the CRC board, saying “It was kicked out of the water. I was told it is what it is and that’s the way it’s to stay.”
Ross (below) described the claims as “outrageous” and said it was “absolute madness”.
The independent TD for Dublin South said: “So they get €660,000 for administering a fund that doesn’t exist?” to which Kiely responded “Yes”.
“I tried to break it on numerous occasions and no one wanted to know. The Department of Health didn’t want to know,” Kiely claimed.
Kiely, who resigned from the CRC last year and said today he has resigned from the board in recent weeks, added that he was told it was a “legal agreement that went back 30-odd years ago”.
Ross said the arrangement would have meant that the CRC would have paid the Mater “millions” down through the years.
Kiely tried to explain how the money would circulate as the Mater would receive money which “becomes part of their income for the year, so it lessens the amount the HSE have to give them” and would therefore increase the amount the HSE owed to the CRC.
But he said “it was just daft” adding that he tried to get the clinic registered so as that it could administer the VHSS pension scheme itself, but he was unable to do so.
He also alleged that in correspondence from the Mater he learned that the CRC is not the only organisation the hospital does this for.
“I do know in correspondence with the Mater I was told that we aren’t the only organisation we were doing this for,” he claimed.
The HSE’s head of human resources, Barry O’Brien, said he had no idea about the arrangement Kiely spoke of and said the Executive “does the work on the administering of the funds centrally”.
He said that as the revelations have “only come to light in the last five minutes” he would need time to assess the issue and promised a report on the VHSS scheme for the committee by next week.
Committee chairman John McGuinness described the revelations as an “absolute farce”.
He said it is an issue that the committee will return to at the beginning of hearings next week, where someone from the Mater hospital will be asked to appear before TDs.
- additional reporting from Michelle Hennessy
Originally published 16:24
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One less thing to worry about.
Jennifer Zamperelli. Jesus wept
@Gregson from the Block: I actually like her. I feel she would be a good person to take over.
@Madra:
she does information videos for the windmill industry
Her first interview would be some fella talking about covid. She got some mileage out of it.
This starting to feel more like a poisoned chalice than a great opportunity lol
She obviously got pulled aside in the hallway at Montrose and told she is not being considered.
Dara ó Briain would be a good fix, imo
@Maire Morrison: I find him a bit sanctimonious to be honest. So maybe you’re right actually
@Maire Morrison:
whatever happened to echo island ?
Sorry but the obvious choice is Brendan o Connor he has a proven track record in Rte and at 33/1 i would put my Fiver on Him.
@Larry Rawson: If he’s 33/1 and you put on a fiver that means you’ll lose a fiver right?
@Paddy Kennedy: you could put an each way bet on him, and then you’d be in with well more than a shout of losing twice as much
Who actually cares?? I read the article for the comments rather than the content. The show is outdated and well past its bedtime and should be put to bed permanently.
Oliver Callan would be brilliant
@Ger Byrne:
SF IRA supporter hosts the late late
ah huh ..
@GERARD KENNELLY: What planet are you on ?
A good news story, for once.
Gay Byrne was young when he started on Late Late Show , maybe 24 years of age . If RTE continues with LLS , how about giving the gig to a young unknown person , not one of the tired old faces who are said to be in the running for the job .
@FixoUZLA: That would make perfect sense but it’ll never happen in modern RTE.
@Rochelle Hart:
Eoghan McDermott will host the late late
Ask a teacher, they do 3 hours live before & after lunch with a live audience who sometimes answer back..
@Paula Leane: Work smart, not hard!!
@Paula Leane: You obviously have no idea of what teachers do. If it is such a handy job, why aren’t you at it yourself? And why is there such a shortage of teachers if it so easy?
@Paula Leane:
brendan gleeson was a teacher before he went into acting
Ditch the poxy late late show, it’s as boring as dishwater & Trump’s speeches
@Dave: You don’t have to watch it lol
Who are we left with? Bosco?
@Stevie Doran: they might as well go with Dustin . Better candidate than Bosco and the other faves anyway
@Stevie Doran: Dustin
She gave her own program to spend time with her family so didn’t make sense to go back to long hours again
John Creedon,or Tom Dunne, both blessed with soft voices.
Time to put this show on the dead heap now. Its been on its knees for years now time to actually end it
Good.
Can’t be many left in the RTE canten to choose from .
I think Oliver Callan would be perfect for the show as presenter. Funny, intelligent, sensitive and vibrant.
Like it or not, the much derided LLS is still the heartbeat of middle Ireland. John Creedon or Brendan O Connor or Baz (I don’t think he’d have the patience for it) for me. I’m struggling to come up with a female name that’d be a bit of craic. Angela Scanlon wouldn’t want it long term and as for Jennifer Z; she is a bit crude at times for me.
RTE are about as relevant as whatisname yeah with whatsisface in thatseries I can’t remember.
Michael D Higgins
Why are they picking Newsie’s for it… It’s supposed to be a topical Show is it not… And light entertainment.. What about either of the Seoighe Sisters and someone like Tommy Tiernan.. I don’t think it’s a Show for a Newsreader or Political Correspondent… Or what about giving a chance to Una Healy….
@Amanda Joyce: you’re having a laugh.You must be
Maybe they should have a few different presentaters taken from the existing staff. Just for variety.
@Michael Dowling: they don’t have the talent at hand.
I think somebody like Rita Ann Higgins, somebody with a sense of humour and not too into themselves
@Angela Kirrane: She was recently interviewed by Brendan O’Connor and spoke extensively about her holidays and her gall stones – sounded pretty much into herself.
@KilkennyProud: That must have been galling
@Thomas O’ Donnell: It was painful alright.
That’s a pity. I think she would have been the 2nd best candidate next to Miriam, now both are out of the reckoning.
Dougal…..from Father Ted.
And just call it The Dougal Show. Ah go on go on!
What about Jerry Maye – a nice presenter and respectful interviewer.
Think outside the box. How about Conan O Brien? He would crush it! He could do rotating 2 shows in Ireland followed by 2 in NYC. That’s mad, Ted!
Mike D
That just leaves me then …… I’m looking forward to it who will be our first guest
Just bury the show, let it die in peace and give us a break from the Rte windbags.
Who would want it.?
All she’s, any sport on the other side
have your say