Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sure there will be continued debates on staffing and we are all trying to work to achieve that. Irrespective of staffing, there is no excuse for an assault on any staff member within the health service or any other service. I accept that people are frustrated due to delays but there is zero excuse for taking that out on staff, and that should be a given. We have discussed workforce planning and I am sure it will continue to be very much a focus of Ms Ní Sheaghda’s advocacy. However, irrespective of any of that, assaults, whether physical or verbal, are not on. The testimony of the witnesses is important but it is not going to encourage people to come into the professions, and we want and need people in the professions to provide the support. There needs to be a crackdown on the aggression. Irrespective of whether people are waiting an hour or three hours, there needs to be a crackdown on aggression toward staff.