HSE pays €1.7m in interest

THE HSE has wasted €1.7m on late payment of bills. Health service bosses handed over the money to suppliers after failing to settle accounts on time between 2005-2007.

Public bodies must pay interest on outstanding amounts and HSE North West forked out €488,000 alone, with HSE South West squandering €395,000.

The figures were released in a parliamentary reply to Fine Gael TD John Deasy. “It makes a mockery of the Taoiseach’s pronouncements about ‘budgetary discipline’ when the HSE cannot pay its bills on time,” he said.