David Scott earned a salary of at least £100,000, benefits of £390 and 'other remuneration' of £240,000 to £245,000 in 2007/08.

A trust spokesman said the £240,000 figure was made up of Dr Scott's annual earnings under a consultants' contract introduced in 2003, plus five years of back pay, delayed while a job plan was agreed for his two roles as clinical consultant and medical director.

Judith Clabby, director of corporate services, said, "This payment relates to the implementation of the new national consultants' contract introduced in 2003 and is a contractual entitlement.

"The payment is under Dr Scott's consultant's contract as a consultant paediatrician and does not relate to his post as medical director."

But Eastbourne MP Mr Waterson said, "By any standards these are huge amounts of money and that is why I have written to the chief executive of the hospitals trust (Kim Hodgson] asking for a detailed explanation of each element of Dr Scott's remuneration package.

"On the face of it, it does seem extraordinary that he has recieved such generous payments at precisely the time he was the principal cheerleader for downgrading maternity services at the DGH."

Dr Scott was paid £240,000 this year to cover what he was owed from the last five years. But even without the full amount owed to him, records show his pay packets from 2002/03 to 2006/07 each included at least £55,000 of contract payments.

The trust spokesman said his pay was in line with government guidelines. The amount received depends on salary and how long an employee has been in the post.

Dr Scott has been a consultant for 25 years and a medical director for 12, previously performing the role at Hastings and Rother NHS Trust.

The trust has 169 consultants, 94 per cent of whom are on the new contract, but Dr Scott's wages are published for the public to see because he sits on the trust's board of directors and senior managers.

Liz Walke, a keen observer of the hospital trust and chair of the Save the DGH Campaign, said, "No wonder the trust is struggling financially if all consultants are going to receive similar back pay.

"He is already earning £100,000 to £105,000, how can he get a quarter of a million on top of that? We are talking Monopoly money, it's outrageous.

"This begs the question as to whether those who are running our hospitals should be allowing these big pay-outs to happen!

"After all it's not as if, in this particular case, Dr Scott has invented some amazing vaccine to eradicate MRSA or the like.

"What exactly has he done to get this huge sum of taxpayers' money? And how much else are they paying out?"

The trust finances also showed Dr Scott's pension pot had a cash equivalent transfer value of £1,023,000, having risen by £398,000 from last year.