Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That was a comprehensive and eloquent answer to a question I did not ask. I specifically asked about the 107 posts that were identified. Regrettably, we have all become used to accident and emergency department overcrowding. The staff, God love them, have to put up with it on a daily basis. Whatever plans this Government or the previous one had to deal with trolley numbers, they are now escalating out of control. I heard An Taoiseach contradict the figures as to whether it is 400 or 600, but those 107 nurses are specifically needed.

Last week, we questioned the HSE and they advised us that the budget was not there when they consulted with the Department of Health for 107 nurses who are designated to nurse patients on trolleys. This is effectively a signal that the Department has given up and is accepting that trolleys are a reality. Whatever the Minister is doing is not working. Some 107 nurses are required in order to cope. Can the Minister respond to the HSE's claim that the Department did not fund those 107 nursing posts?

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