Mr. Damian Ginley:

On the career pathway, it is difficult to talk about it in isolation when the private sector is versus the public sector. From the public sector perspective, the foundations have been laid with the establishment of terms and conditions of employment that finally recognise the role of the healthcare support assistant in the community. For years, they were underpaid and undervalued. Therefore, we welcome the developments within the HSE. To build on that, where staff are established and loyal to the service, a career pathway that includes supervisory and additional manager positions would assist our colleagues in Fórsa in the delivery of the rosters they have been asked to manage. It is the staff on the ground who know the service, know the geographical area and know the clients' needs. With the incentive of a career pathway, they would be more inclined to stay within the service.