Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

That is extremely disappointing, to say the least. It does not really say anything at all. I do not know what to say to that. All I can say is that the recruitment freeze is obviously compounding the issue. The Minister of State might be able to answer the following question. Is the recruitment freeze having an impact on the recruitment of public health nurses, especially in the CHO 7 area? I hope she can answer that. My understanding is that 40% of all posts in the Dublin Mid-West region are vacant. That is a huge issue. Is the issue around the public health nursing sponsorship programme? Has anybody been recruited via that programme?

One of the issues that is having a detrimental effect on recruiting nursing staff in this area is the cost of living, particularly around Dublin where nurses cannot even get a place to rent. Is the Government thinking about special premiums or incentives for jobs providing a vital service such as public health nurses to attract graduates? We have an amazing cohort of graduates from this country who are well educated and enthusiastic about their job. They are finding a huge impediment getting a place to live in the areas we are talking about. This is having a knock-on effect not only in Dublin Mid-West but across the board. If the Minister of State can answer those questions, I can bring this back to some of the parents and explain the latest situation in what they are looking for regarding their children.

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