Audit finds breaches in health fund procedures

ALREADY reeling from the poor governance its internal audit uncovered in relation to the controversial €60 million SKILL training fund, the HSE has uncovered serious issues with the €41m Health Services National Partnership Forum (HSNPF).

HSNPF was established in 2000 to forge working relationships between management and staff.

The audit found that there were serious breaches of normal procedures in hundreds of thousands of euro of funds handed over by the HSNPF to SIPTU. On five of those payments, a HSNPF official signed the name of the joint union chair which the audit said was “in breach of financial regulations and good governance practice”.