HSE audit criticises Tusla’s ‘inadequate’ payroll controls

Nearly 120 staff working for the child and family agency Tusla are receiving personal allowances which could not be identified on official salary scales, a new HSE internal audit investigation has found.

The internal audit report has criticised “inadequate” controls in place in the payroll process .

The report, which was released by the HSE on Tuesday, says that Tusla management was unable to provide a signed contract of employment for its chief executive during the audit process.

"A copy, which was signed on 4 November 2014 was provided to internal audit on 25 August 2015. The Department of Health in a letter to the HSE dated 3 February 2011 approved the remuneration package and requested a signed copy of the contract for its records. The contract included agreement for the paymentby the HSE of a contribution to a private pension of 12 per cent of basic pay for the duration of the contract. Payments are in accordance with the agreement", the audit says.

The report also suggests that management at Tusla could not provide evidence that allowances for staff working in one secure unit had been reduced in line with financial emergency legislation.

Tusla has over 4,200 staff and has an operational budget of over €600million of which more than €226 million went on pay in 2014.

Human resource and payroll services for Tusla are provided by the HSE.

The audit report says that 117 staff working for Tusla are in receipt of additional payments described as a “personal allowance” which could not be identified in the Department of Health’s consolidated salary scales.

It says that “on further investigation it was ascertained that this description included a number of different allowances”.

The largest number of such allowances related to payments for staff working in various secure units across the country.

Allowances

The report says that two of the 117 employees concerned were receiving “general manager “ allowances of €20,221 and €8,968 per annum respectively.

The report says that under Department of Health pay rules, a business case had to be submitted to and approved by the Department of Health in respect of any allowance that is not included in the official consolidated pay scales.

The report says that Tusla management was “unable to provide evidence of such business cases or Department of Health approval for the continued payment of the general manger allowances”.

The report also says that a number of errors were also identified in relation to these allowances.

It says that seven employees were in receipt of a secure unit allowance “although they did not appear to be employed in the units for which these allowances were authorised”.

Some under-payments were also identified as part of the audit.

The report says that 25 staff at the Glenn Alainn secure unit in Cork were receiving a secure unit allowance ranging from €80.41 to €96.26 per fortnight.

However it says that management could not explain the differences in the rates and also could not provide evidence that the unit allowance was reduced in line with cuts under financial emergency legislation (Fempi) introduced by the Government over recent years.

The report says that a Gaeltacht allowance of 7.5 per cent of basic pay is paid where an employee is required to conduct business through the medium of Irish, and where the employee possesses all required competence in the language.

It says that 44 Tusla employees are in receipt of this allowance but that in a sample audit of four such staff, management could not provide written decisions that these personnel were were receiving allowances ranging from €156.90 to €427.58 per fortnight.