Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish we had a time machine because I would like to go back and remind everyone of exactly what we were saying at the time, which is that this would have long-term implications. It is clear that there have been implications and we are living with them. Regarding the impact of this on staff, my understanding is that there are a number of implications where there has been a failure to recruit and the staffing levels are low. One is the cost of agency staff. We know that this is only going in one direction. Ms Ní Sheaghdha might outline the figures if she has them. If not, she can send them on to us. The second implication is around the issue of the workplace becoming a dangerous place for workers. There is a direct relationship between the levels of staffing and the levels of assault, so if Ms Ní Sheaghdha has some information that, I would appreciate hearing it. I would like not just to find out the figures, because I know that there is an issue with healthcare professionals. I know from my previous work that there is significant under-reporting of assaults. We know that is happening. Will Ms Ní Sheaghdha outline the numbers and types of assaults and their impact on the workplace, not just in terms of time lost but in terms of morale and the work environment for nurses and midwives who are up against it and indeed all healthcare workers? Would that it were exclusive to one particular grade group or category of workers, but we see a lot of shortages among front-line staff. Will Ms Ní Sheaghdha outline the impact this has on the workforce?