THE HEALTH Service Executive’s nine senior managers have spent over €130,000 on hotels, travel and other expenses using corporate credit cards over the past four years.
The executive placed the details of credit card expenses on its website last night and said it will publish details from now onward on a quarterly basis in the interests of "greater transparency and accountability in the organisation". The Irish Timeshad sought details of credit card spending among senior executives under the Freedom of Information Act.
Most of the money was spent on hotels (36 per cent), followed by travel, parking costs (16 per cent), as well as publications and education courses (2 per cent), according to the organisation.
The HSE has opted not to give a detailed breakdown of the costs, except for overall figures on how much individual members of the management team spent during the first six months of the year.
The published figures show chief executive Brendan Drumm ran up a bill of €1,050 between January and June.
Other members of the management team include Brian Gilroy, national director of commercial and support services (€2,309), Paul Connors, director of communications (€1,574); Anne Carrigy, national director of serious incidents (€1,500); Michael Flynn, director of internal audit (€1,391); Seán McGrath, director of human resources (€935); Laverne McGuinness, director of integrated services (€433); Pat Doorley, director of population health (€150) and Liam Woods, director of finance (€104).
Members of the management team carry credit cards as part of performing their duties, according to the HSE. There are 10 credit cards, including a “business travel unit” credit card, in use at present.
Mr Connors said publication of the records “marks an important step in seeking to ensure that every area of the organisation is subject to public scrutiny in an open and transparent way”.
Its ultimate goal is to publish all credit card records and expenses for the organisation on a quarterly basis, he added.
“In the next few weeks, the HSE will further break down the figures posted on the website today, providing details of transactions on a month-by-month basis,” he said.
In a statement accompanying the spending details, the HSE said a review of credit card spending found the total spend among senior managers in 2007 reached €53,118, an increase of 34 per cent over the previous year’s total of €34,646. Following a tightening of spending and the establishment of a “business travel unit”, this sum was reduced by 51 per cent to €25,569 in 2008. The total spend so far this year is €17,121.
Mr Woods said: “This review of credit card usage in the organisation illustrates that credit card controls have resulted in a significant reduction in spend for the organisation since 2006. Strict monitoring and regular review of spend on corporate credit cards is an important part of the HSE’s probity measures.”
