Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, and there is progress on this. There is €80 million for conversion but this is partially offset by a €60 million increase in pay where there is conversion. The conversion process began in July 2024 after the pause. A total of 512 staff have been onboarded as part of the agency conversion process. This is 53% of the target. Of the 512, 268 are nurses and midwives, 142 are health and social care professionals, 82 are in patient and client care, six are medical support staff, there is one doctor and there are 13 administrative staff. By service, 347 are in acute services, 141 are in national services and 13 are in mental health services. Notwithstanding this, agency conversion has been slower than we would like. We have put in place strong internal controls over agency conversion to ensure managed growth in one way. There is also a part about staff not wanting to convert and this is an intersection. There are also different patterns on the spend during the year but that is by the by.