Saturday, July 12, 2008

Staggering €300M Spend by HSE in 3 years on staff transport

Drogheda North Fine Gael Representative, Kevin Callan has revealed information showing that HSE officials spent a staggering €292 million on staff transport costs (including mileage costs, air travel and public transport) since 2005.Mr. Callan received the information through a Fine Gael parliamentary question that was tabled by Dr. Reilly to the HSE and added that, with a swath of cuts already hitting the health service, it is clear that the Government and HSE would rather spend badly needed cash on ferrying staff around than on patients' needs."As admitted this week, the Fianna Fáil/PD Government botched their single biggest health reform - the setting up the HSE - and we are now seeing the results of the Government's inability to get a handle on the health service with expenditure on non-essential items such as staff transport sky-rocketing."As the table below shows, since 2005, HSE staff have spent €292 million on transport for themselves with the amount rising every year.Table showing amount spent by HSE on staff transport costs (including air travel, mileage costs and public transport): January 2005 - April 2008
Year Amount
2005 €82,685,094
2006 €85,233,181
2007 €93,396,790
2008 (to 30/4/2008) €30,712,807
Total €2,92,027,872
"Simply put, this staggering amount of cash could and should be put to better use. While some expenditure on staff transport is necessary, splurging €300 million in three years is completely indefensible."It is clear that the HSE would rather spend money on ferrying their staff around than on saving lives. This week, Mary Harney announced that a total of €144.35m is to be saved within the health sector and, of this, €85 million was gutted from the 'Fair Deal' nursing home package. The old and vulnerable are already feeling the pain of Brian Cowen's cutbacks but this pain could be significantly lessened if huge amounts of cash weren't spent on HSE staff transport."During the boom, the vulnerable, the elderly, those with terminal and mental illnesses were left to the back of the queue. Now they are pulled into the front line to take the hit of Cowen's recession."Thirty million has already been splurged this year. Local Patients' needs must come first and, for the remainder of the year, I am demanding the amount spent of staff transport be drastically cut."
Ends
Contact Kevin directly on: 087 777 6648

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