Opposition criticises HSE failure to spend €100m

Opposition politicians have criticised the Health Service Executive (HSE) for failing to spend almost €100m of its capital budget last year.

The executive's annual report for 2006 reveals that it failed to spend around one-fifth of the money it had been allocated for new facilities and renovations.

Most of the money will now have to go back to the Exchequer rather than being spent on much-needed health projects.

The HSE is blaming the lack of progress on major developments for the situation, but Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes said today that the executive’s own management structures needed to be changed.

He said the situation also highlighted the need for more parliamentary accountability in relation to the HSE’s spending.

Labour Party TD Liz McManus, meanwhile, said it was scandalous that the HSE was returning money to the Government when patients are suffering from a lack of beds.