James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

In response to Deputy Kelleher, the Taoiseach is very clear, as am I, about the presence and completeness of the contingency plans in place. As I said, the situation is dynamic. We do not expect significant change between now and the end of the month but there has been much change heretofore. We had a very long meeting last night at which the CEO and four regional directors of the HSE were present, along with members of the clinical programmes. A comprehensive plan is in place.

Let me address specifically the issue raised in regard to the inflammatory and very upsetting remarks made by a leading professional which caused needless upset and anxiety among women looking forward to the birth of their babies. There is a very coherent, stringent, clear plan in place to deal with identified risks, including midwifery. In Limerick, 16.5 wholetime equivalents are to leave and there is provision for 15 to be in place when that happens. The clinical lead there is quite happy about safety.

When going through our contingency plans for different hospitals, as we did last night, we noted that, in some cases, one third or half the staff are being replaced and that, in other cases, perhaps only one fifth, one sixth or one seventh of the staff are being replaced. The service can be delivered with different types of rosters and skill mixes than we have at present. This must be achieved when there is a restricted budget and a moratorium on recruitment and a ceiling on staff levels.

See this speech in context