Despite the initial denials, facts revealed in leaked tapes have now been confirmed

Details of budget overruns and ‘fake targets’ in a leaked recording of a meeting of officials in the Department of Health initially brought angry denials from the HSE and the department, but many of the details were later confirmed

Paul Reid, chief executive, HSE, and Robert Watt, Secretary General at the Department of Health, leaving Kildare House after a meeting with the Joint Committee on Health to discuss the oversight of Slaintecare earlier this month. Picture: RollingNews.ie

Last Sunday, when the Business Post published a leaked recording of Department of Health officials discussing alleged dysfunction in the management of the health budget, there was fury in the HSE, panic in the department and quiet consternation in government.

The leaked recording of a meeting of officials in the Department of Health detailed allegations that the HSE, ministers and the department were funding “fake” recruitment targets, and that “sloppiness” in the HSE’s financial reporting ...