While the NHS was suffering a general lack of funds, last
year, the DoH spent £310,754 on taxis, £463,723 on business-class plane tickets and £3.1m on first-class train fares.
That averages £1,195 a working day on taxis and almost
£12,000 a day on first-class train travel.
“A lot of people will be surprised that civil servants
are spending so much on luxury train and plane travel at a time when the NHS is
under such financial pressure,” says Conservative MP Mark Hoban, who
tabled the questions which prompted the department to open its expenses file.
Problems arising during Hewitt's tenure included jobless
junior doctors, NHS maternity units and accident and emergency departments
being forced to close, staff shortages and paltry pay-rises for nurses, and no
money for specialist drug treatments.
We think that Hewitt should face charges of mismanagement,
be forced to repay taxpayers the waste out of her redundancy package and barred
from public life.
NuLab – Destroying Britain from the inside out.
HatTip – The First Post
