Ms Susan Clyne:

No. Our understanding is that the pay and numbers strategy, which are the numbers of people in the various grades that the HSE can employ in posts that are funded for this year, is due to be published shortly. I have seen in media reports that the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery, and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, have been meeting about this issue. The recruitment embargo, therefore, is in place today and we do not know what the outcome of those pay and numbers strategy discussions will be.