Dr. Niamh Humphries:

We do not have any figures on the cost of agency staff but, as to why agency staff are used, they are used where there are gaps in the system and where there is a need to fill a post on a temporary basis. I would imagine they are more expensive than regular staff. From speaking to doctors, we know that agency or locum staff are less familiar with their work environment and are less likely to do as much on-call work as a permanent colleague. They are not a like-for-like replacement for a permanent staff member. It is important to use agency staff as sparingly as possible, which involves workforce planning and making sure that there are as few gaps in the workforce as possible.

To come back to another thing the Deputy said, which related to the high rate of doctor emigration, the only reason the Irish health system has not collapsed as a result of this high level of doctor emigration is that those doctors have been replaced with non-EU doctors, who comprise 42% of our medical workforce and keep the show on the road.