Civil servant angered by treatment over fees scandal
A former top civil servant in the Health Department today hit back at how he was treated in the illegal nursing homes charges affair.
Former secretary general Michael Kelly was transferred to another post after the Travers Report heavily criticised the role of his officials in handling the controversial charges over a 29-year period.
Mr Kelly, who today broke his silence on the debacle at the Oireachtas Health Committee, took issue with ministers and advisors and was openly scathing of the Travers Report.
In a 45-minute opening presentation, the top official was adamant that he briefed former Health Minster Micheal Martin on the illegal charges on at least two occasions.
He referred specifically to an oral briefing outside a Management Advisory Committee (MAC) meeting in December 2003, which Mr Martin denies.
Mr Kelly said today: “I am quite clear that I did alert him to this and I don’t have any doubt about that.”
After revealing that Health Minister Mary Harney had told him after the Travers Report that his position was “untenable,” he criticised his almost instant removal from the department, “the justification for it and the manner of its execution.”
He added: “I would simply express the hope that nobody in the position of secretary general would go through the same experience again.”
He criticised the role of political advisors and said they often had too much authority within the department.
“If these advisors are not there to alert a minister to something as significant as this, why are they there?” he asked.
He attacked the Travers Report for “so many targeted comments and generalised criticisms” against the department.
He said he found it disappointing and disturbing that author John Travers referred to senior officials as “dysfunctional” in his report without having met most of them.
“This approach could hardly be described as meeting the standards of good public administration,” he said.
Mr Kelly said he was assured by Mr Travers that anybody who was criticised in the report would get a right of reply, but this never happened.
Fine Gael committee member Liam Twomey praised Mr Kelly as the only person who had accepted any responsibility in the whole saga.
Green Party chairman John Gormley asked him if he regretted the whole affair turned out to be a blame game and he was the “fall guy”.
Members of the Health Committee are hearing submissions from high-ranking politicians and officials into the affair, which could cost the taxpayer up to €2bn to refund over 300,000 affected patients and their families.
The all-party body will compile a report on management and administration practices in the department and present it to Government.
Mr Martin is due to appear before the Committee tomorrow.
