Mr. Paul Reid:

I will ask my colleagues to come in on some of the specifics. In response to Deputy Tully's question on vacancies. She has summarised them as they are, which is a 28% vacancy rate across the board. We relentlessly continue to try to focus on that. I do not disagree with what the Deputy said about looking at new ways of addressing the issue. I touched on some of it earlier. I will let the Minister of State comment on it, but I know the Minister has met with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, and other Ministers on how we might approach things differently.

Pay and the differential rate for those in section 39 organisations is not something the HSE can address. It is a pay policy issue, and it is not within our remit. I met with section 39 providers last night, so we are connecting on this. Retention is increasingly becoming an issue for service providers. It is a very significant issue, but it is not within our remit.

I will let Mr. Bernard O'Regan address some of the questions on the CDNTs. Specifically on recruitment, the team might have the exact numbers, but I can confirm that we have numbers in terms of clinical recruitment of the 14,800 net staff, primarily front-line care staff. We can give the Deputy a table showing the breakdown of recruitment in the disability area. I accept that it is still a significant issue.

I will make a general point again in terms of the recruitment and retention of staff, and I ask that members please take it the way it is meant. We all have a role in retaining staff in the HSE. Every day I meet staff in this and other areas who care a lot. Sometimes it is very difficult to work in the health service and also to retain staff because the amount of public pressure they are under is significant. Recruitment must happen. I accept there is public accountability, but we all have a role to play in retaining staff within the sector. It is a great sector and the people who work in it are highly committed to it. I meet many of them regularly. I want to say that again because sometimes the public perception is that staff do not care. Our staff care hugely. They want this fixed as much as members, as parliamentarians, want it fixed. I know that is the case.