THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH may order the HSE to pay staff travel and subsistence expenses which are being withheld from them, his junior Cabinet colleague has said.

Minister of State for Health Róisin Shortall said the HSE’s decision, which has been condemned by unions as well as health minister James Reilly, was “simply not acceptable”.

She told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that she “would expect” Minister Reilly to use his power to order the HSE to reverse their decision “today or tomorrow”.

“I hope the HSE see sense in this regard and face up to the obligations they have to staff, to pay the expenses that are due to them,” she said.

It emerged on Tuesday that the HSE had told unions it would be withholding around €15million in travel and other expenses accrued by staff until next year, “pending a resolution of the HSE’s final cash position for 2011″.

Siptu official Paul Bell said the measure “can only be interpreted as health workers being instructed to bankroll the HSE.”

Damien McCarthy, president of the Garda Representative Association, told Newstalk Breakfast this morning that similar expenses were also being withheld from gardaí until next year. He called on the Minister for Justice to step in and reverse the decision.

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