Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I accept that.

We received a piece of correspondence a few months ago from the HSE - I do not have it to hand so I will go from memory - that gave a picture of staffing in CHO 8. What stood out for me was that there were 30 to 35 more management-administration staff than what was required, whereas right across what I would term the front-line services, there are shortfalls. The CDNTs, which were discussed earlier, are a case in point. The HSE does a population chart for that every year. The last one of those I saw was for Laois-Offaly, and showed that the CDNTs were at between 50% and 60% strength. In the case of one therapy area, the CDNT was down to well below 50%. I know it is a challenge - you have outlined that - but the letter said there were excessive numbers in management-administration. Unfortunately, I do not have the letter to hand. Why is this the case? Why are we carrying this kind of imbalance? I understand that there has to be management-administration, but there is a public perception, somewhat confirmed by the letter, that parts of the HSE are overmanaged. However, when people try to access services they can be thin on the ground. You are only ten months in the job; I understand that. As I said at the time you took the position, it is a big ship to try to steer around and keep on the right course. Why do we have these mismatches and why do we not have the staff where we need them?