John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is important to reiterate some of those points. I do not think it is known by many people that 22 additional staff are already in place of the 24. These are additional staff over and above, as have been committed to in the 2,068 whole-time equivalent positions secured in budget 2024. I ask that an early decision be made on that. Notwithstanding the 22 positions being already in place, which will facilitate the quicker staffing of the seven-day week service, those additional positions will need to be backfilled. That takes time, given recruitment challenges, but the earlier they get the notification, the quicker the service can be stood up, which we all want.