The HSE has come under fire over the alleged expenditure of €2,500 on a new Christmas tree outside its main flagship acute hospital in Dooradoyle, Limerick.

The HSE is now dealing with 40,000 incidents of child abuse or neglect annually, with the figure described by one local representative as "staggering".

A Fine Gael councillor and his two sons have been accused of using resources from their company Abbey Contractors Ltd for their personal benefit.

THE Health Service Executive is spending hundreds of millions of euro every year testing blood samples for GPs who make no financial contribution towards the service but who still charge patients for the tests.