Ireland cannot and should not fear being part of discussions on defence, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris has said. He said the country would remain neutral but this did not excuse complacency about security/defence issues. He said more must be done to support/resource def forces

Simon Harris says “we must work in partnership with tech companies to identify and neutralise foreign interference in democratic debates”. He says we have not always done enough to combat people’s fears on issues such as immigration and “we must be willing to engage”

Health service to seek over €450m in savings this year — €550m in a full year - and to propose new measures to boost productivity under new plan to be unveiled later today. See details @TheIrishTimes

New report to be published on Monday to show that growth in activity levels in acute hospitals is lagging behind scale of exchequer investment in funding and staffing in recent years. See details @TheIrishTimes

“This has been an appalling process” "I have been forced into a dreadful position and I will not be now compromised further. Thus far and no further” — HSE chief’s irate emails amid furious row within Gov over exit package for top health executive. See @TheIrishTimes

Dept of Public Expenditure vetoed initial HSE move to pay exit deal to former top official on basis it was outside Gov rules for such severance deals, leading to row that ultimately was escalated to Ministers. See @TheIrishTimes

Health spending is about €500m ahead of profile for the first four months of the year, the Secretary General of the Department of Health Robert Watt has told an Oireachtas committee hearing

A ceiling should be put on the number of management/admin staff in health service, the Dept of Public Expenditure has urged. It sad staff numbers in this area had increased by 33% since end of 2019. See The Irish Times for details

Large increase proposed in hospital bed numbers in Galway, Kerry, Waterford and Beaumont in Dublin between next year and 2028 under new Gov plan to be announced today

Nearly 200 additional hospital beds earmarked for Galway and over 100 more for University Hospital Kerry up to 2028 under Gov plan.

Cathal Haughey, grandson of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey celebrates after winning a seat for Fianna Fáil in the Howth/Malahide area in Fingal

More trouble regarding new National Children’s Hospital. Development board rejects conciliator’s recommendation that it should pay builder BAM another €107m. BAM initiates High Court action. See @TheIrishTimes

New project director to oversee Dublin MetroLink project to receive salary of €550,000 per year under deal approved by the Government. See The Irish Times for details.

Productivity, efficiency reforms and value for money will increasingly have to be central to discussions over the level of funding to be allocated to the health service, the Department of Public Expenditure has argued in a new paper. See @TheIrishTimes for details

The Department of Public Expenditure says in a new paper comparing Irish health expenditure with that in other countries that health spending in Ireland in 2021 was 28 per cent greater than the average in the OECD.

The Government is to withhold State funding for new consultant positions from hospitals that cannot demonstrate that their existing medical specialists are seeing the same number of outpatients as their peers elsewhere. [email protected] for details

Under a significant policy change, boosting the number of newly referred patients seen in outpatient clinics as well as the implementation of other reforms in individual hospitals will also become “a significant factor in determining how funding will be allocated/prioritised”

One HSE employee — believed to be a doctor— received almost €1 million last year while another individual received a €1.6 million employment termination payment. See The Irish Times for details

HSE’s highest earner on one occasion was paid €2,800 in premium payments for seeing four patients in a 60-minute period after being called in at night on a rest day. See The Irish Times for details

Kerry Hospital described situation following ending of eye services as “a debacle” which caused massive problems and clinical issues for patients. Hospital says comments made in answer to Dail question were sent out in error and unapproved. See The Irish Times