Dr. Anne-Marie Brooks:

I hope I answered the Senator’s question on how core funding is allocated. In year one of core funding, €259 million was allocated. Some €207 million of that was towards pay, either the combination of pay for staff but also €47 million of that was for the graduate uplift. The joint labour committee negotiated improved rates of pay that were brought into effect in September 2022, and in and around €55 million was required to achieve those minimum rates of pay. The funding allocated for pay was in excess of that, so providers had flexibility to use the core funding allocation to perhaps improve pay beyond the minimum rates of pay. They had flexibility to improve pay or offer pay for ancillary staff or other staff within the allocation. However, we know through the core funding allocation in year one and the funding that was required to meet minimum rates of pay that there was excess funding to meet the kind of costs the Senator referred to with regard to having additional staff, supporting ancillary staff and those kind of things, and, in addition to that, support for non-contact time, for example, for staff to engage in training or administrative roles. There was funding within that allocation to meet those costs.