HSE under fire over failure to stay within budget

The HSE was criticised for failing to operate within budget every year for the past five years, despite its responsibility to budget accurately.

The C&AG pointed out that spending on healthcare accounted for more than a quarter of all day-to-day government spending and said: “The fact that the HSE requires supplementary estimates each year raises concerns about the effectiveness of its budget planning and budget manage net.”

Last year alone, the HSE required an additional €337m in emergency funds from the exchequer after its budget of €13.987bn ran out before the end of the year.