The HSE is to investigate reports that over €2m in secret top-ups were made to more than a dozen senior members of staff at St John of God.

The report, in the Irish Mail on Sunday, said that managers at the Dublin hospital were paid lump sums totalling around €2m back in 2013.

As a section 38 charity, in receipt of €130m from the HSE a year, St John of Gods signed a service level agreement which states it “shall not pay nor subsidise salaries, expenses or other prerequisites which exceed those normally paid within the public sector.”

This evening a HSE spokesperson said “they were informed specifically about these payments last weekend and their National Director for HR will now conduct a full review as a further phase of the work already commenced in 2013”.

This investigation will confirm whether St John of God is in compliance with Section 38.