Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The hospital does not have enough beds or the required level of staff. The Taoiseach quoted a figure of 2,268 additional posts. He knows full well that in previous years, that has been as high as 7,000. The system is stripped bare. I have set out the facts for him. These are facts from people on the front line with regard to dental services, mental health capacity, and all across the system, yet the Taoiseach insists on this embargo. I have asked him to lift the embargo and I put it to him again that that needs to happen. It is foolish to imagine that this embargo is a money saving device. It is not. The Government's spend on agency staff and outsourcing reflects that fact.

See this speech in context