An on-call consultant paid more than €14,000 for one week’s work at Cork University Hospital, and a €25,000 monthly payment for radiology services at Bantry General Hospital where the contract was awarded with no tender process, are among the shortcomings highlighted in a series of HSE internal audit reports.

Some 82% of children with difficult or challenging behaviour who received support from a youth advocacy programme last year demonstrated an improvement in behaviour, the group's report for 2011 says today.

Some 77% of people on 'Youth Advocate Programmes' show significant improvement in their behaviour, it emerged today.