Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will ask Mr. O'Brien to also comment on funding for this year's winter initiative. There will be additional capacity. There are a number of new units referenced, including the opening of step-down beds for Beaumont, the development of Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda and additional beds in Galway, to name but a few. There is also a significant emphasis on home care packages, social care and transitional care beds. In terms of funding for the winter initiative, while there is an allocation for 2018 there is also an allocation for now. As Deputy Kelleher knows, we received an additional €40 million for this year, of which €30 million will be spent on winter pressures and access issues. The remaining €10 million will be spent on waiting list initiatives. Next week the HSE will meet all CHOs and hospital group chiefs to hear about their plans.

I will ask the HSE to comment. Rather than Dublin telling hospitals what they must do, this year it was very much a bottom-up approach. CHOs and hospital groups were asked what they planned on doing and what they would take accountability and responsibility for delivering this winter. We will provide the committee with more details when Mr. O'Brien comments.

Deputy O'Reilly is correct. Recruitment and retention continues to be a major challenge in the health service. That does not come as a surprise to any of us in this room, regardless of our political persuasion.

Yesterday the Cabinet took a very important decision in terms of phase 2 of the Public Sector Pay Commission. As the Deputy will recall, all health sector unions and representative bodies who balloted their members on the new public sector pay agreement voted in favour of it, many by an overwhelming majority. They did so on the understanding that, in addition to the public sector pay agreement, there would also be a phase 2 which would examine the specific recruitment and retention challenges in respect of certain sectors.

The Public Sector Pay Commission did not accept that there was, in general, a recruitment and retention issue across the public service, but said there was one in regard to elements of the health service. I am very pleased that the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, and the Government moved very quickly on this yesterday. The deal was only ratified in recent weeks, and phase 2 of the commission can now commence. Health will be a particular focus, and rightly so. Ms Mannion might comment on the HSE perspective in terms of the current position regarding recruitment and retention.

The figure of 13 is somewhat of an outlier for a variety of reasons. There has been an increase in the number of nurses in the system. The Deputy is correct in that recruitment continues to be a challenge. Phase 2 of the Public Sector Pay Commission is part of the additional response. The Deputy said she did not want to hear me saying the same thing. Phase 2, which will examine the recruitment and retention challenges in the health sector, is very welcome. It will have an objective look at what we need to do to make sure we keep our workforce here in this country.