A TOTAL OF €2.3 million in State money linked to a controversial staff training programme was paid into a bank account bearing the name of the trade union Siptu.
Siptu has insisted that it never received any of this funding and declined to comment on the existence of the bank account last night.
It has, however, confirmed this week that one of its officials is the subject of internal inquiries in relation to management of the fund.
Well-placed sources have confirmed that €2.3 million was paid into a bank account named the “Siptu national health and local authority levy fund”. This fund was used to pay for study visits to the US, Australia, Hong Kong and the UK involving Government officials, trade union members and Health Service Executive officials.
These trips were funded in a non-transparent manner that obscured the expenditure from scrutiny, according to an unpublished audit into the fund.
The funding is linked to the HSE’s Skills training programme, aimed at upskilling support staff and line managers across the health service in non-clinical services such as portering, house-keeping and catering. A HSE internal audit report into the training programme has been referred to the Garda by the board of the health authority.
It is understood the report maintained that one trade union employee arranged and paid for overseas travel for public officials and others. This official subsequently either claimed back unvouched costs from the Skills programme or funded through a grant that the union received from the Department of Health.
The Skills programme received nearly €60 million in State funding over recent years.
However, the HSE internal audit has raised concerns about weaknesses in governance and control of the funds distributed.
It has particularly highlighted the payment of more than €2.3 million, which was made by the Department of Health through the HSE, to the trade union Siptu over recent years under the overall heading of the funding for the Skills programme.