Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The first question I asked was whether the Minister for Health would reverse the €1.5 million in cuts to primary care services. I did not get a response to that question. The Minister of State said that 9.5 clerical and administrative staff were "released" from their posts. That is a first. I have never heard of anybody who had a contract terminated with immediate effect going home to his or her family and saying, "I was released from work today". They were sacked.

I will go back to the questions and hopefully the Minister of State will give me an answer this time and not just the usual HSE spiel. Does the Minister intend to implement a fast-tracking process for the filling of nursing vacancies within the HSE? The filling of those vacancies was not approved by senior HSE management which has resulted in the closure of 18 beds in the elderly services in County Louth. Will the Minister give a commitment to introduced a fast-tracking process?

On the issue of recruitment more generally, is there any forward planning at all? Does the HSE put any thought into the age profile of its staff and planned retirements? Is there any sort of planning at all? This crisis was allowed to develop due to inaction by HSE senior management at national level and, as a result, the patients and the staff suffer. The staff suffer greatly. I know there is a problem with the recruitment of nurses nationally but that stems from the deliberate running down of our public health service. Nurses are leaving in their droves due to the stressful working conditions. I read recently of nurses who have moved abroad-----

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