HSE seeks answers in nepotism controversy

THE Health Service Executive has demanded urgent answers from staff in Cork and Limerick after it was revealed that several family members of HSE employees were recruited to well-paid temporary jobs without an open competition.

HSE chairman Liam Downey and chief executive Brendan Drumm have asked for a review of the manner in which a number of people were appointed to temporary positions as community welfare officers (CWOs) and clerical officers in its south and mid-west regions.

The Irish Examiner has established that at least seven positions, four in Cork and three in Limerick, were filled by spouses and children of existing HSE staff.