Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and his officials for being here this morning. I hope the Minister enjoyed his day in the real capital last Monday, where he was very welcome as well.

I concur with Senator Kelleher on the importance of the UN convention being ratified, on which issue the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, is working hard. It is imperative that we ratify that convention for those people living with a disability. I agree also that into the future health services must be above politics and we must work together on a cross-party basis, regardless of which party or parties are in government, to ensure a plan is put in place.

Senator Swanick, who is unable to attend this meeting and has sent his apologies in that regard, and I have reviewed the winter initiative programme together. We hope that its objectives and aims come to fruition. It was reported that some of the additional 300 beds provided under last year's plan were unused as a direct result of a lack of nurses. Does the Minister have any plans, aside from the daft - for want of a better word - plan of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor in regard to tax incentives and so on, to entice Irish nurses and doctors who went abroad back to Ireland?