Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In conjunction with work done by the HSA and its board, there was a request for additional money for staff and resources for 2020 and 2021. That request was approved and an extra €4.2 million was sanctioned to enable the work we are doing in the occupational health division. That has resulted and will result in recruitment of extra inspectors and other staff. There is a time lag in trying to source the people needed, training them up and getting people with the relevant qualifications. The HSA puts in a lot of effort to make sure the inspectors it hires have qualifications relevant to the sectors on which they are to focus. The number of staff has increased and will increase further, and the resources to achieve that are in place.