Dublin South West TD, Seán Crowe, has described the secret payments to senior managers at the St. John of God’s charity as distasteful and it undermines the genuine work of charities and their volunteers.

The payments were revealed by a Health Service Executive (HSE) audit report into the charity. Media reports in the last couple of days suggest that senior managers received €528,756 annually until 2013, when they received a lump sum totalling a whopping €1.9 million. After 2013, no more top-ups were to be paid. However, the HSE audit still found that 14 Executives continued to receive some top-ups, despite St. John of God’s having assured the HSE that this had stopped.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“St. John of God’s is a charity which receives donations from the public, as well as being in receipt of substantial State supports through taxpayers’ money. In view of the accepted importance of its work in the three years between 2013 and 2015 it received over half a billion from taxpayers.

“The HSE concluded that the failure of St. John of God’s to disclose its continued non-compliance with public pay policy was ‘a fundamental breach of trust’. It concluded that St. John of God’s did not meet the standards of transparency, accountability, candour and co-operation that the HSE should expect of bodies funded by the taxpayer.

“It also, in my opinion, breaks the trust of those who have donated to the charity in the past, the charities volunteers and fundraisers, and the many other St John of God staff who have worked long and difficult hours, days, and years without the benefits of gilt edge and outrageous top-ups.

“St. John of God’s provides important services to citizens across the State and currently provides specialist services in substance misuse, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, psychiatry of later life and adolescent disorders.

“Clearly there is an onus on all charities to abide by HSE rules and to ensure that pay policies don’t breach rules and standards. The St. John of God’s top-ups culture was distasteful and undermines the credibility, not only of their own charity, but the entire sector.”

ENDS