Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To come back to the Nursing Homes Ireland issue, may I have a written response? Can a response be sent to the committee because Nursing Homes Ireland stated in its statement issued today that the emergency department task force had never engaged with it? The position needs to be clarified in writing because the issue is important and it is in the public domain.

I accept that it is not within Mr. Woods's area, but I ask for a written response to be sent to the committee on another issue also. In the Cork north River Lee area there were 68 public health or community nurses. I am not clear on the distinction between the two. At any one time last year ten were out on sick leave or maternity leave and there were no replacements for them. That seems to be what is happening in the sector. If a nurse in a hospital was out on leave, someone would be brought in to replace him or her. I do not expect to receive a response today, but I ask for a written reply to be given to the committee. In the future, if someone is out on sick leave or some other form of leave for an extended period, sufficient backup support should be provided.