Health

Donohoe warns Donnelly over ‘unprecedented’ risk of €2bn health budget overrun

Letters reveal spending minister’s concerns at health minister’s control of HSE budget

Paschal Donohoe and Stephen Donnelly: exchange of letters between the spending minister and the health minister reveal serious concerns over the ballooning health budget

Spending minister Paschal Donohoe has strongly rebuked Stephen Donnelly over his handling of the health budget, warning that a €2 billion potential overrun marks an “unprecedented level of financial risk” to the state.

It comes as Donnelly has also written to Donohoe requesting an additional €6.3 billion in capital funding between 2024-2028 if government health goals are to be achieved, nearly double the projected capital allocation for that period.

In terse letters outlining his concern ...