SENIOR OFFICIALS in Government departments and the Health Service Executive took part in foreign trips funded by a controversial staff-training programme which is the subject of a Garda investigation.

The HSE’s skills programme was aimed at upskilling support staff and line managers across the health service in non-clinical services such as catering, housekeeping and portering. However, a confidential internal audit carried out by the HSE raised concerns about weaknesses in governance and the control of funds disbursed in respect of the programme.

In particular, the audit said that payments of €2.3 million had been made over the period of 2002 to 2009 to “one organisation” which were not accompanied by adequate supporting documentation.

The HSE’s annual report, published yesterday, said the audit report had been referred to the Garda.

The departments of Health and Finance, as well as the HSE, yesterday confirmed that officials took part in foreign trips associated with the programme.

The Department of Health said a small number of senior officials participated in “study visits” associated with the skills programme to overseas healthcare systems.

It said one of its officials met the HSE’s internal auditors and provided them with full details of his participation in study visits to health systems in the US.

The department pointed out that it had no involvement in planning and managing these foreign travel arrangements.

The Department of Finance also confirmed that a mid-ranking official, who has since retired, participated in a number of foreign trips associated with the skills programme. A spokesman said a limited amount of departmental expenditure was sanctioned in relation to these trips, as the majority of the costs were being covered by the skills programme.

A spokesman for the HSE also confirmed last night that some staff in the organisation had taken part in foreign trips associated with the skills programme.

Yesterday the chief executive of the HSE, Prof Brendan Drumm, said he was concerned about where the €2.3 million may have potentially ended up.

Asked about the money, which formed part of the overall €60 million allocation by the exchequer to the skills programme, he said the €2.3 million had “moved between the Government and a trade union and had been channelled through the HSE”.

He later identified the trade union concerned as Siptu.

He said that he could “give no good answer” as to what the money was used for and to why it was channelled through the HSE.

Last night Siptu said again that it has not received from the Department of Health or the HSE any of the €2.3 million in payments to which he referred. It said that an official of the union was the subject of internal inquiries on foot of information Siptu had received from the HSE. It said it had sought a copy of the HSE audit report but had not received any response to that request.

“The national officers of the union intend to complete these inquiries as quickly as possible. In order to complete this process a comprehensive reply to our request for details of its audit is required from the HSE,” Siptu said in a statement.

The Department of Health last night confirmed that over €2 million, or an average of about €250,000 per annum, had been paid to Siptu as part of a strand of the skills programme. The money was used to maintain support for Siptu human resources and personnel development schemes and the development of union/manage-ment partnerships of best practice in health enterprises. The money was paid to a section of Siptu.

A formal Garda investigation has begun.