Seven HSE staff travelled to the US, to Kansas, at a cost of €19,000. The trip was to attend a conference at which two of them made a presentation.

Over €2m has been spent since 2014 upgrading hospital laboratory information systems which are in the process of being replaced.

The national rollout of a €35m IT system designed to improve care for mothers and babies has been put on hold until a digital link is in place that will allow electronic sharing of data between maternity hospitals and GPs.

The HSE has had to contract outside consultants, for the second time, to get a €35m IT maternity system operational in two Dublin hospitals.

UP to 300 jobs are to be created in the healthcare and catering sectors, it was confirmed yesterday.