Uptake of HSE redundancy scheme 'slow'

The uptake on voluntary redundancy applications among HSE workers has been very slow, it has been claimed.

Unions have been told just a few hundred formal requests have been lodged, despite more than 8,500 staff members expressing an initial interest in the package.

However the HSE said it expects a raft of applications in the coming days.

A spokesperson for the HSE says scores of workers are currently considering offers - issued on a person to person basis - before making a final decision on their circumstances at the end of the week.

The HSE wants to cut the number of people it employs by 5,000.

The deadline for applications is Friday.