THE HSE last night contradicted reports that Dr Rhona Mahony’s €45,000 salary top-up was her earnings from treating private patients. In fact, the extra payment to the Master of Holles Street was derived from ‘rents, licence fees and other income’, a Dáil committee was told.

Yesterday, Geraldine Smith, assistant national director of the HSE, told the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee that when she asked the source of privately-funded payments to Holles Street managers, she was told: ‘External funded equals private funded, including rents, licence fees, other incomes’.

‘I’m not going to refer to any particular person, there were four externally funded – there were four private allowances which were described as being externally funded.’

Ms Smith did not indicate that she was referring specifically to Dr Mahony as one of those four. She said: ‘When I asked them to specify the elements of the private sources, they gave the definition: external funded equals private funded, including rents, licence fees, other incomes. All I can say is what the National Maternity Hospital has provided to me (which) is that private funds come from licences, other income etc. They haven’t said it was from private patients. They haven’t dealt with that level of specificity.’

Last night a spokesman for Ms Mahony said she had nothing further to add at this time.

HSE: Dr Rhona’s €45K Top-up was not patient fees (Ferghal Blaney, Irish Daily Mail) (not available online)

Previously: Professional Fees From Private Patients

That’s Why They Call It Fundraising

Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland