Government cooked the books on health budget, says FF

Senior government officials "cooked the books" in order to ensure they could achieve a massive €666m in "unworkable" health service cutbacks over the past year, causing untold damage to the system, the opposition has claimed.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin made the remark on the first day of the party’s two-day think-in yesterday, insisting there is evidence officials “consciously misled” the public and the Dáil over what cutbacks were realistic as part of a “fraudulent” financial plan.

Speaking in Roscommon town, the former health minister said weekend revelations of previously private correspondence between the HSE, the Department of Health, and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform late last year show beyond doubt officials knew €666m worth of cuts could not be achieved.