HSE expenses - Make abusers pay it back

In the midst of the angst over health cuts the exposure of the monetary abuses by bureaucrats at the Health Service Executive (HSE) appear all the more outrageous.

Public money was squandered on flowers, candlesticks, hotels, foreign trips, restaurant tips and telephone calls, some to people abroad while allegedly on sick leave.

The abuses included €6,000 in tips with one tip of €200. If these people wished to be generous, they could do so with their own money, but it should not be tolerated at the expense of the health of the people.

Flowers costing €273.50 were charged on an office credit card, and there are suggestions that work mobile telephone bills were run up by staff who were not entitled to work mobiles. The money involved in such abuse should be reclaimed by deduction from the salaries of those still employed, or from the pension of those now retired.

It is not enough that such abuses should be exposed, those responsible should also be held accountable. Otherwise the same things will happen again. Henceforth, there should also be the added sanction of summary dismissal of anyone engaging in such abuses.