Rehab boss must reveal her salary or face possible funds cut, says Reilly

THE €41million Rehab Group receives from the HSE could be at stake if the charity’s CEO does not reveal her salary, James Reilly has hinted.

Health Minister James Reilly said the level of funding for RehabCare ‘will come into question’ if Angela Kerins does not bow to pressure about her pay.

Earlier in the week, Taoiseach Enda Kenny told reporters he believed she should reveal it. And yesterday, when Dr Reilly was asked if her pay should be revealed, he replied yes.

When pressed on what he would do if Ms Kerins did not reveal her salary, he said: ‘Our relationship with them as it currently stands will come into question.’ He added that funding could be at stake, he replied: ‘I think that it would form part of the fundamental relationship’.

Mr Reilly’s words suggest her reluctance reveal it could now end up impacting on the Rehab Group’s charitable activities.

The HSE has yet to ask for Ms Kerins to reveal her salary. Last night a HSE spokeswoman said: ‘The HSE has received information from many of the organisations, including RehabCare and NLN and is currently involved in a process of validating the information for completeness.

‘A report on this information will be made available to the JCHC & PAC when the validation exercise has been completed over the next number of weeks.

A Rehab Group spokesman said last night: ‘So there is no confusion, neither the group nor its CEO Angela Kerins have ever been formally asked to divulge details of her salary. The press have asked many times, but that it another thing entirely.

‘And the request of the Taoiseach in the matter is now due to be considered at a board meeting next month.’ And he added: ‘As we have repeatedly stated in the past, the money from the HSE almost entirely goes to RehabCare and full details of the pay of the management of that company have been forwarded to the HSE.’