According to Harry McGee of the Irish Examiner, Mary Harney will provide further explanation today for why the HSE has returned 9 million of unspent budget in a region with a serious shortages and delays in service.

Link to article

More than enough to vaccinate all the kids who have still been going unvaccinated in Cork and Kerry...

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Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.36

So out of a total budget of 14 billion, a total of 11 million, or 0.0007%

Slow news day.

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Liquidate labour, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate.

Wasn't there problems with industrial relations down there?
Might have something to do with it.

Except that the HSE is still not providing the BCG vaccine to children in Cork and Kerry. This figure would cover it many times over.

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My political compass
Economic Left/Right: 0.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.36

Er, you're not suggesting that the HSE South gets a budget of 14 billion, are you?

Personally, I don't regret that. But the idle A&E in the Mercy Hospital is another matter. There are hundreds of ways that money could have been spent. The system should be managed to trigger an emergency strategy for anticipated budget underspends.

This is insanity - recruitment of medical staff is capped while money for services that are desperately needed goes unspent.

Yes there are hundred of ways that money could have been spent, and it probably wasr earmarked for something that came in under budget. So it wasn't as if they had 9 million in the back of the till they were keeping for a rainy day. So no, that 9 million probably could not have been spent on BCG or anything else, but it will be available for next years budget.

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Liquidate labour, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate.