The Medical Council has highlighted to the Department of Health the “heavy workload” of Council members and has sought an exemption from the ‘One Person One Salary’ policy for affected members.
The request was made during a governance meeting with the Department in December, according to minutes obtained under Freedom of Information law.
Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the Medical Council told the Medical Independent (MI) there were 10 members subject to the rule and as a result they could not receive the €7,696 annual stiped.
“They can claim for vouched expenses such as travel and subsistence. The number of members expected to be exempted from the One Person One Salary policy will depend on the changeover of Council, however, we expect a minimum of eight members will be impacted based on previous Council membership.
“Regarding workload, there are four governance Council meetings per year and monthly regulatory meetings. There are also several extraordinary Council meetings held per year. In addition, Council members are expected to participate in one or two committees. The preparatory work for Council meetings and committee meetings can be significant.”
A Department spokesperson told MI it is considering the matter and the outcome will be communicated to the Council when a decision has been made. The objective of the One Person One Salary policy is to restrict payment of extra remuneration from additional public service sources to public sector employees.
Additional payment may be made for undertaking other work in the public sector under certain conditions. Sanction is considered where departments submit a business case to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and where a number of conditions are met.
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