Mr. Liam Doran:

No, there has never been a deputy position. There was previously a nursing unit that was very well staffed and in which my colleague, Ms Adams, was employed. However, there is now no nursing and midwifery unit in the Department and, as already stated, the post is vacant. In addition, there are no support posts. That renders still poorer the analysis, critiquing and determination of policy. In my view, there is no way the Department would have developed the flawed graduate programme if a chief nursing officer had been present to outline the reality of what is likely to happen as opposed to focusing on the budgetary arithmetic involved.