Ms Phil Ní Sheaghdha:

In our submission, it can be seen that the census figure for December 2007 was 39,000. The census figure for August 2019 was 37,998. Of that figure, 882 were students in training. That leaves us with about 37,116 qualified nurses, so we have not recovered. That is the point we are making. Introducing a pause to nursing and midwifery has a longer-term effect and it is very much an expensive game to be in considering the global shortage.