Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We should also acknowledge that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has secured with the social partners a public service agreement in the past few weeks that further reflects our acknowledgement of those working in the public service and the commitments that have been made. Very significant resources have been made available to the health service by the Government in the budget. Up to 16,000 additional staff are now targeted for recruitment over the pre-pandemic levels to embed reforms in our health service that would outlast the pandemic and in order that the lessons learned in our health service during the pandemic will be sustained in the time ahead. The deal with the private hospitals, for example, will continue to make sure that we can catch up on non-Covid care with regard to diagnostics, procedures and operations that had been affected negatively as a result of the pandemic itself. Embedding and implementing reform across the health system, and ensuring it aligns with the Sláintecare programme, is key and is provided for in what has been an unprecedented budgetary allocation, for Covid-related issues and for non-Covid issues.

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