Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The letter states it is carried out by an agency on behalf of IDA Ireland and not by the organisation directly. We can ask for more specific details on verification of the figures.

Correspondence No. 1744 is from the chief executive of HIQA, providing an update requested by the committee on HIQA's examination of the cost of agency staff.

In that letter, he says there has been a significant improvement in the permanent staff and that the total number of posts in HIQA was 79, an increase of 47 posts from January 2018. That seems significant. He also says requests for most of the additional staff have been approved and funding provided. If people want a copy of the workforce plan, he says he is happy to provide it to the committee. As he has offered it, we will take him up on that offer. We will ask for a copy of the workforce plan.