HSE criticised for €153m spend as buildings lie idle

HEALTH chiefs are spending €153 million a year renting buildings while properties they own lie idle and fall into ruin.

But they can’t say exactly how many buildings might be vacant because they don’t maintain a national database.

The Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said poor management of the health services property portfolio gave rise to situations such as in Castlepollard, Co Westmeath, where three houses bought seven years ago to accommodate special needs adults were never used because there was no staff to run them and they were now in a state of disrepair.