Console founder gave HSE no details on €346,562 in spending

No information was given to Health Service Executive auditors by Console's former chief executive Paul Kelly to support any of the €346,562 spent on the charity's suicide helpline in 2014, according to the executive's draft internal audit report.

According to the unsupported figures supplied by Mr Kelly to the auditors, Console’s counsellors were paid €166,000 in 2014, with 14 freelance counsellors were allegedly paid €1,200 each, but no invoices for any of this were produced.

Console's former auditor and current bookkeeper is Joseph Condron, of Condron and Associates, Celbridge, Co Kildare, who resigned as auditor in September 2014.

Mr Condron was replaced by Bermingham Condron Accountants, Damastown Road, Dublin 15.

The HSE auditors were told "calls to both helplines are handled by one team, which is managed by a Console staff member (who is on the payroll) and is staffed by 14 paid sessional counsellors who are paid on an hourly basis".

“Counsellors submit invoices for the hours worked and payment is made directly to them. The payments are not taxed,” the HSE was told.

In addition, according to Console figures, a “helpline manager” received €38,762 in 2014, while a “director of supervision” received €25,000, and “clinical supervision” cost €20,000. Rent was €36,000. (All figures are rounded.)

Telecom costs for the service in 2014 were put at €30,000, IT support €3,000, software €2,200, light and heat €5,000, training €3,500, postage €3,000, stationery €3,500, promotion €3,600, “print” €5,000, and “sundries” €2,000.

Helpline manager

The only figure which was not rounded was for the helpline manager, which was €38,762, its last two digits the same as those for Console’s contribution to the service that year, €52,562.

Console rejected the claim by HSE auditors that “information was not provided to support the cost allocations” of the helpline service.

It “confirms that all support information was included in the general accounts paperwork provided to the internal audit for 2012/2013/2014.

No other information was requested by internal audit for the helpline.

“No HSE request has ever been made to Console management to allocate a specific code in Console’s general ledger.”

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants has said it would be “inappropriate” to comment on accounting practices at the charity, “given that this matter is subject to an ongoing criminal investigation”.