Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The HSE does not desire to have agency staff. It is a recognised fact, however, and one the Deputy also acknowledged, that such staff are sometimes required, particularly in smaller hospitals where it is proving extraordinarily difficult to recruit permanent consultants. That is part of a broader conversation. To take nursing as an example, we have made clear that we want to convert agency posts to permanent nursing posts. We have a clear policy and genuine commitment to replacing agency staff with permanent staff. In the year to date, the HSE has spent €180 million on agency staff. I will send the Deputy a table showing how this figure compares with previous years. While agency staff are not as desirable as permanent staff, many of our hospitals are reliant on them. Notwithstanding the challenges we see in the acute hospital setting, I would not fancy seeing the scale of those challenges without agency staff.