Mr. Paul Reid:

I very much welcome the settlement with the INMO. I have met its general secretary several times. We share a view and interest that the agreement be maximised and implemented to its fullest. Details of that will be discussed further by the Department and the unions involved.

To give some context on staff recruitment, in the first quarter of 2019, the total staffing numbers for the HSE increased by approximately 1,100 of which 550 are graduate nurses, so that is not included in the whole-time equivalent count. If one removes the graduate nurse recruitment, the figure is approximately 600.