Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Dr. Pidgeon and Ms Byrne. There is no doubt in our minds about the importance of the work they do. We and our loved ones depend on the verification process to validate the capacity, professional training and expertise of nursing staff, who are often the people with whom we have the most significant engagement in our health delivery settings.

The correspondence we received from Dr. Pidgeon in advance of the meeting refers to a decision to fill nine vacancies on an interim basis. The issues relating to the protracted process and the delays in bringing people through the system have been evident for some time. In her opening statement, she presented a picture of a less than stable or happy work environment, with an exodus of 11 staff over the period in question. She also referred to uncertainty and insecurity among staff. That is unsettling for any organisation. Why were posts filled only in the relatively recent past and what exactly does "interim basis" mean in real terms? I would expect the positions to be on a full-time basis. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland appears to be late in responding to an identified need. While Dr. Pidgeon referred to a lower than expected annual retention fee, this has been a controversial issue in the past year or two. I ask her to elaborate on the purpose of the annual retention fee and any other funding the board might secure to carry out its work. If it is not solely dependent on the registration fee, perhaps she could help us to understand exactly where the funding difficulties arise.

There are 62,909 nurses and midwives on the active register. I expect that some nurses and midwives may for their own reasons maintain registration even though they are not active in the health delivery system. How does that relate to the numbers directly employed by the HSE or in private settings, including primary care and other practice roles?

Does Dr. Pidgeon have that information and statistics on the breakdown of nurses in the categories of general, psychiatric, intellectual disability, children and midwives? If she does not, would it be possible to forward it to us subsequently? I would welcome that.

The number of students graduating each year is 1,500. I expect that is the number coming through and graduating in this jurisdiction. Are the numbers coming through at full capacity? Does Dr. Pidgeon have information on the retention rate within our health system in recent years? Could she give us a sense of that? Has the retention percentage improved in recent years, particularly in the recent past with the lifting of the recruitment embargo, compared to previous years? What has the direct impact of that been?

Dr. Pidgeon referred to EU and overseas applicants. Is it the case that Irish trained nurses are grouped within the EU classification within the NMBI's role and responsibilities? I note the number of overseas applicants in the first six months has more than trebled compared to the same period in the previous year. How does that statistic reflect itself in terms of Irish-EU applicants? That figure does not appear to be given in the presentation but I could be wrong on that.