Hospitals are facing a warning from HSE management that they must 'immediately' address their costs.

Details of a letter from the newly appointed director of acute hospitals are reported in today's Irish Times.

In it, Tony O'Connell claims there has been a 'generally poor' response to requests from the HSE for hospitals to publish plans on how they will contain their costs.

Senior Business Correspondent with the Irish Times Tom Lyons explained on Newstalk's Breakfast that the information officials are looking for: