THE HEALTH Service Executive has signalled it may seek to recoup money paid into a controversial account linked to trade union Siptu.
There are several investigations under way into how about €3 million was paid into an account known as the Siptu National Health and Local Authority Levy Fund.
Siptu has said that this was not one of its authorised accounts.
In a statement last night, the HSE said: “We are accountable for all our public money. If that requires us to get money back, we will seek that by all means.”
Yesterday, Minister of State for Public Service Reform Dara Calleary said any money provided to trade unions under social partnership which had been misspent should be reimbursed.
Mr Calleary said the rules governing such expenditure should be “tightened up” and that far greater controls should be introduced. He said it would be wrong to suggest that all money spent on such partnership programmes had been a waste. He said there had been “some really good delivery” in many areas.
He declined to comment on the €3 million paid into a mystery bank account linked to Siptu under a number of partnership programmes. Last week, aspects of these funding arrangements were criticised by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The Irish Times revealed last week that two trade unions, Impact and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, repaid nearly €250,000 which they received for training schemes under a partnership scheme in the health service.
Mr Calleary said: “We have to make sure that every cent of taxpayers’ money is spent well and appropriately tracked.”
The Minister said he would not comment on specific cases. However, he stated: “Money should be spent on improving services and improving capacity of people to respond to services. Frivolous expenditure and expenditure that cannot be stood over should not be allowed and should be reimbursed.”
