HSE refuses to release data on Drumm bonus

The HSE has refused to release documents under FOI which show how its board calculated what level of a bonus CEO Prof Brendan Drumm should be paid.

The HSE board's decision in September to approve a €70,000 bonus for Prof Drumm in respect of his performance in 2007 caused a public storm.

While 2007 bonuses totalling €1.4 million were paid to other top HSE staff in late 2008, it took a further year for the HSE board to approve a bonus for 2007 for Prof Drumm.

irishhealth.com sought under FOI all correspondence between the HSE board and Prof Drumm between July 2008 and September 2009 relating to his 2007 bonus.

The HSE, in response, refused to release key correspondence between Prof Drumm and the HSE board which was sent during the summer of this year, in which the payment of his bonus, which had by that stage been delayed for some time, was discussed.

It is understood that the correspondence included a rating of Prof Drumm's performance and deliberation by the HSE board on the level of bonus to be paid to him as a result of this rating.

Prof Drumm had earlier made a case for the bonus to the Board in which he gave a lengthy list of achievements as CEO which he felt merited his performance award for 2007.

The HSE refused to release the more recent documentation relating to Prof Drumm's bonus on the grounds that the information sought constitutes personal information relating to Prof Drumm and is therefore not subject to the obligation to disclose under the FOI legislation.

Bonus payments to top HSE staff were suspended indefinitely by the Government last year.

Prof Drumm will step down as HSE CEO next summer, having completed his five-year contract. It is expected that his successor will receive a smaller remuneration on package than that given to Prof Drumm.

[Posted: Thu 17/12/2009]