Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am taking ten minutes. I thank our guests for their presentations this morning and the work they have done over the difficult past four months. I especially thank the front-line staff in all our hospitals and community settings.

We are facing new challenges. The hospitals do not have the same capacity because of issues around social distancing and the new processes and procedures that must be followed. I am regularly hearing GPs complain about a lack of access to diagnostic services. Is there any way that we can fast-track and improve that service immediately? People are being referred to outpatient clinics that duplicate a lot of the work that GPs are already doing, but GPs have to refer patients because they cannot get access to diagnostic systems. How can an improvement in that regard be fast-tracked?

Since December 2014, the number of people working in the HSE has increased by 20,000. The figure has increased from 103,000 to 123,000 whole-time equivalent staff. If we were to prioritise recruitment in the morning, which areas should be prioritised? When consultants are recruited they also need to have access to beds, operating time and support staff. Where should the priorities be for staff recruitment?