John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will pick up first where Mr. Gloster finished, which is the high-end earners within the HSE. He said they are working to address the issue. He cited a number of grossly overpaid staff in the HSE. My first concern is that the number of high-end earners seems to be increasing rather than what he said, which is that they are working to address the issue. Looking at the financial statements for 2021, the number of staff earning more than €450,000 was eight and, for 2022, it was 14. In 2021, there was no one earning in excess of €970,000 and, in 2022, there was one. The numbers are increasing rather than decreasing.

What does working to address the issue actually mean? I have a number of specific questions in that regard. In respect of the highest earners, without identifying any individuals - I am not here to establish that - are we talking about additional payments to certain consultants? It is safe to say that all these high-end earners are consultants. Would I be right in saying that first and foremost?