Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I referred to the 13,000 additional whole-time equivalent people employed in the HSE in four years. That is equivalent to €600 million in additional pay per annum. There are 135,000 people working in the HSE, including people working on a part-time basis, but when one boils it down there are 116,000 whole-time equivalents. In December 2014 the number was 103,000. The cost of the 13,000 additional staff is approximately €600 million.