Mr. Liam Woods:

There is a plan when it comes to overall numbers, yes. The model of care for obstetrics, undertaken by the obstetrics programme and now in the possession of the women and infants programme to implement the national maternity strategy, identifies the need for increased consultant numbers of up to 100 over a period of time. That is clear. Some recruitment took place this year and a small number of posts were filled. The service plan for 2018 makes some provision in the area of the maternity office and maternity services. As the director general has said, we will assess this piece of work further when we see it. In response to the question on workforce planning, the women and infants programme itself is examining workforce planning across all grades for the provision of these specific services. This office was founded relatively recently, at the beginning of this year. There is also a wider agenda for workforce planning which Ms Mannion may perhaps discuss later.