HSE incurred €8.4m in charges for expired Covid vaccines

The HSE told the Public Accounts Committee that abolishing private practice in public hospitals will cost around €140 million this year.

The HSE's Acting Chief Financial Officer Michael Lane said to understand the HSE's deficit it is important to look at "the policy change in private income".

"That's a significant loss in income to us this year. Structurally, we are going to have to rebalance that and we are going to have to find a way without that income," he said.

Mr Lane said it is "probably a loss of around €140 million to us this year".

The committee earlier heard that the HSE incurred charges of €8.4 million for Covid vaccines in 2025 that had reached their expiry dates or were determined to no longer be clinically suitable for use, along with €1.5m for stocks of legacy and obsolete PPE.