AN INTERNAL report by the Department of Finance has revealed one of its officials took part in 16 foreign trips to Australia, New York and other locations that were linked to the controversial Health Service Executive (HSE) Skill training fund.
The audit report found there was “limited evidence of output” from these trips and that it was unable to determine the relevance of them in most cases.
Three of the trips to the US – New York on two occasions and Atlanta, Georgia – took place during St Patrick’s Day.
The report also found that just under €1,000 was spent on taxi services over a three-year period to a taxi operator outside the central HSE taxi contract. This taxi operator was known to the Department of Finance official.
The official at the centre of the audit report has since retired from the department.
The Skill programme, described by members of the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee as a “slush fund”, has been heavily criticised following an audit that uncovered a catalogue of waste of taxpayers’ money and serious breaches of corporate governance.
The department’s audit report is expected to be debated by the committee tomorrow.
The audit also shows there was a lack of detail or receipts relating to many of the trips. For example, the purpose of a trip to Atlanta, Georgia, – which involved a seven-night stay – was stated to be a two-day “change management” conference. The audit notes, however, that these courses are widely available in Ireland.
While the department paid some costs, most flights and accommodation were funded by a trade union. The trade union – which is not named in the report but is understood to be Siptu – has not yet provided any documentation on the trips.
As part of Skill funding, the Department of Health authorised an annual grant – totalling €2.3 million – to Siptu. The money was paid into an account known as the “Siptu national health and local authority levy fund”.
However, Siptu at national level has said that it knew nothing about it.
The official told the department’s audit report that his partner accompanied him on two trips, to Australia and New York. In both cases, he said the partner’s flight and accommodation costs were paid for by the trade union and reimbursed by him.
The report also states that former supervisors and the official himself indicated that some foreign trips made were useful in providing information on the health reform agenda in the UK and US.
The report adds however that because it did not have access to documents concerning all payments made on behalf of the official, it was unable to verify whether any payments made by the department to its official were appropriate.
In a series of recommendations, the audit report suggests new measures for the department to address “inappropriate travel”, whether the cost directly accrues to the department or not.