Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to clarify the matter. The HSE will be able to hire an additional 2,000 staff in 2024, so it will be able to replace any staff who have resigned or retired and hire an additional 2,000 staff. We cannot have what has been happening in previous years. We have had a recruitment surge, with 20,000 extra people hired by the health service since this Government came to office but not necessarily the ones it was authorised to hire, and that is a serious problem. I should say that even between now and the end of the year, the recruitment restrictions do not apply to nurses, midwives, consultants, GPs and doctors in training.

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