€150m of health budget ‘not used’ this year

THE Department of Health left over €150 million of its budget unspent in the first half of this year, despite the ongoing demand for improved health services.

Government expenditure will stay tight for the rest of the year, as the public finances continue to deteriorate. The Department of Finance warned last night that €2.3 billion may need to be borrowed to balance the books at year-end.

Government departments underspent on their budgets by €1.1bn in the first six months, with the departments of health, education, transport and environment all well below their spending targets.