Eight HSE staff members earned more than half-a-million euro last year.

The Oireachtas Health Committee is today examining the health service’s financial accounts for 2022.

It heard that eight people earned more than €500,000 – with one staff member earning more than €970,000.

HSE CEO Bernard Gloster told the committee that he is unable to justify the scale of the payments.

“I do not accept we can continue in a position where eight staff earn above €500,000,” he said. “In one case, above €700,000 and the highest above €900,000.”

He said the HSE is “working to address the issue” noting that he does not accept the argument that the payments are essential.

“I can’t justify the scale of it,” he said.

Manager recruitment freeze

Mr Gloster also revealed that the HSE is now putting in place a temporary pause on manager recruitment.

He said management/administration section of the HSE saw the highest growth in numbers between 2019 and 2022.

“I don’t want to be in any way disparaging towards that grade – I come from that grade myself – but that was the highest growth,” he said.

“This year, an additional 1,400 jobs were given to that grade and we’ve already exceeded that 1,400 by an additional couple of hundred that we can’t afford.”

Vaccines

The committee also heard that the HSE lost €94m last year in writing off obsolete or out-of-use COVID-19 vaccines.

A further 1.7 million euro was written off due to obsolete PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).