HSE staff overtime costs €400m in two years

OVERTIME payouts to HSE staff cost the taxpayer more than €400 million in just two years, figures obtained by the Irish Examiner can reveal.

In both 2007 and 2008, the overtime bill came in at more than €219m, and despite a cut in employee numbers, overall, HSE staff costs increased by 6.5% last year. The figures also show more than 20 hospital registrars earned over €100,000 in 2008 in overtime, with the top sum of €156,688 going to a registrar at Roscommon Hospital.

Other top earners were: