Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Deputy's interest in this matter, which he has raised with me separately on other occasions. I refer to the industrial relations issue between the HSE and the INMO, which is being dealt with by the LRC and in which I am not involved. There are also issues relating to staff deployment. In my view, one thing the Minister for Health should not do is to attempt to redeploy staff around the country. The health service has 98,000 staff and it would be quite improper for me to start relocating doctors, nurses and therapists from one part of the country to another. I have no intention of doing so.

I acknowledge that professionals in the health service will express a preference for working in a certain part of the country, but the more important consideration is that patients need health service professionals and priority must be given to patient need over the preference of professionals.

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