Ms Phil Ní Sheaghdha:

To be honest, I do not think there is. We keep asking the HSE about this. Directors of nursing tell us they were instructed, in regard to the 31 December figure, to the effect that posts that were vacant were no longer funded or considered vacant. That means from July of this year, the funding available determines the vacancy as opposed to the actual vacancies based on safety, the framework and the need of the population.