Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

-----a temporary contract. Hospitals all over the country have six-month contracts for nursing staff, for example. In areas of the health service, the contracts of caring staff cannot be renewed. Services will need to be curtailed as a result. The Government has decided on an absolute embargo on recruitment, promotion, acting up and the renewal of short-term contracts because of the reasons explained to the House by the Taoiseach previously. Against this backdrop, it is strange that the Government would not have given some consideration to or have a handle on what will be the likely staffing requirement of the new agency. I am surprised to hear that. Apparently, the issue has been left to the NTMA in a vague way.

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