Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I always enjoy talking to staff in the health service and I have visited 48 of our hospitals in the past year. The Deputy makes an important point about trolley figures. The INMO produces its own trolley watch and its members have clear guidelines, as does the HSE, as to what constitutes a trolley as opposed to an additional bed. Its figures are published on a daily basis and the HSE publishes figures three times a day. The general secretary of the INMO is co-chair of the emergency department task force, where there is an exchange of information on this, so I believe the 12% decrease in April, according to the INMO's figures, is widely accepted among staff.

The Deputy is entirely correct to say we need to recruit more nurses and we need to do more to recruit nurses. The HSE has been at career fairs in London and, as part of our discussions with the INMO and SIPTU to avert industrial action, we agreed a number of measures including the doubling of the bring-them-home allowance from €1,500 to €3,000, and extending it beyond the UK. There is a number of pre-retirement allowances for people who want to work part-time rather than full-time, meaning we keep a part-time nurse in the system. I am looking forward to going to the INMO conference later this week, where I will have an opportunity to outline plans in this area.

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