Government tight-lipped on Paul Pace’s government advisory role salary

The Health Ministry has remained tight-lipped on how much former nursing union boss Paul Pace is earning in his new post as adviser to the ministry that he had been at loggerheads with for years.

This newsroom had revealed that Mr Pace was to be given a top role in the ministry. This was confirmed by the ministry following our report.

This newsroom then sent a series of follow-up questions to the ministry but it replied to only one of the several questions asked.

The ministry’s terse reply stated: “Mr Paul Pace’s appointment is with immediate effect and he will be adviser to the Ministry for Energy and Health, with a focus on nursing deployment. His remuneration is comparable to that of other health advisers in the Health Department.”

This newsroom immediately made the ministry aware that it hadn’t replied to all its questions.

The questions which remained unanswered, once again, were: How much will Mr Pace earn as an adviser and will this be his full-time job? Will he be retaining his post as infection control nurse at Mount Carmel, and if so, how much would he earn in total?

We also asked the ministry whether it had consulted MUMN, MAM, the hospital’s management, MCAST and the University before appointing him adviser.

Sources in the medical profession who spoke to this newsroom said that it is absurd for a former union boss to be given an advisory role with the government, raising questions whether Mr Pace fought for the interest of his members or sought personal interests during the last two years.

When he was union president, Mr Pace was known for being outspoken and never shied away from threatening industrial action.

In an interview with this newsroom soon after his surprise resignation from the MUMN, Mr Pace had said that he would accept a government role but it all depended on what the position would be, and if he were ap- proached by the government in the first place.

He said that he would not pounce on any offer but would only accept a highly challenging job.

Up to the very end, Mr Pace kept insisting with this newsroom that the government had not approached him. But this newsroom has been informed that when we were quizzing Mr Pace on his potential top role, Mr Pace was in talks with the government tied to his new post.

Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne had defended the government’s decision to appoint Mr Pace as adviser, describing him as somebody who always worked for what he believed were his union’s best interests.

Since some of our questions remained unanswered, this newsroom has filed a Freedom of Information request.

Paul Pace