Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is aware of my views on agency staff. Greater efforts can and should be made to convert agency staff to directly employed staff. While the former do fantastic work, they do not provide the best value for money. Agency staff in the ambulance service and elsewhere find it very difficult to break into the HSE. They are knocking on the door. The employees the HSE is contracting for service have clearly attained the relevant standard as the HSE does not contract people who are not capable or qualified. Barriers to entry include the registration process with CORU for people wishing to move here from abroad. We also have to consider whether working in the heath service is an inviting prospect. The HSE can be a fortress whereas it should be easy for people to join the health service.

I apologise if the next issue I raise was discussed in my absence. A table on page 38 of the document shows that the number of adult referrals seen by the mental health service increased by approximately 10,000 in 2017. We see increases throughout the service. Will the Minister confirm that adequate funding will be provided to deal with these increases?