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

With the greatest respect, if the Minister is not identifying where the vacancies are, it strikes me that he is making it very difficult for himself to plug the gaps. I have asked parliamentary questions on this matter 17 or 18 times. The question relates to my area, which is a microcosm of what I believe is happening throughout the system. When I ask if we are getting additional staff in the primary care centre in Balbriggan, the youngest town in the State, which is in the fastest growing constituency in the State, the answer I get is that services will be provided from within existing resources. That is a very polite and nice way of saying it will not be getting any additional staff. The Department can come back with that answer and be clear that services will be provided from within existing resources, meaning there will not be any additional staff, and yet the Minister tells me that those staff have not been identified. Sláintecare is very clear on where the staff should be, what type of staff are needed, such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists, but we are also talking about directly employed GPs. Let us not forget that a motion was passed here in the House, with unanimous support, calling for the employment of directly employed GPs where that is necessary. If the Minister is not looking at the needs in areas and identifying where the gaps are, then it strikes me that it will be very hard to fill the gaps and to deliver the service. We have a plan and it should not be that hard to stick to it.

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