Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

I accept the commitment of the HSE and the Minister not to rehire staff. I was first to accept in the context of the incentivised early retirement scheme that it was a necessity to do so in cases where people with the required skillset were not available immediately to replace those retiring. I have no difficulty with rehiring staff on short-term contracts to address deficiencies in skillsets.

However, I refer again to the broader issue agency staff. During the first quarter of 2012, €51 million was spent on these staff. If that continues, the spend for the year will be well in excess of €200 million. This does not include the cost of locums and other temporary measures. The total cost, therefore, could be between €220 million and €230 million by year's end. Does the Minister agree there was a commitment to reduce this expenditure by 50%? If that is to happen, no agency staff will be hired for the second half of this year because the entire budget was spent in the first six months.

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