Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In terms of any individual roles, which cannot currently be replaced by the embargo, what I would say is that I am aware of that.

I speak to front-line clinicians on a regular basis who are saying it is making it harder, not every where but in some places, to run their services and I fully appreciate that. We are working to unwind the embargo. I never wanted to put it in place. It is only there because the HSE was funded for a record 6,000 staff last year and hired a record 8,000 staff. In spite of the embargo, there are thousands more staff working in the HSE now than there were this time last year.

On the second point, the medical secretary-----