Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree that it is not good enough. We need a resolution to this and we need it more quickly than one is now coming about. I will raise it with the HSE and come back to the Deputies with a note. If they would like, I will set up a meeting with HSE officials so that they can explain exactly where we are. Other parts of the country are not experiencing this difficulty. Some might be but there are plenty of well-staffed public health teams all over the country. We have invested a huge amount in public health and massively increased our community-based teams, including the primary care teams and older persons teams. There has been very substantial investment. I want to better understand why we have such a specific recruitment problem in this area because, as I have said, other parts of the country are very well served and very well staffed. I will revert to the Deputies with a note. Following that, if they would like a sit-down meeting with the community teams in the HSE, they can let me know and I will certainly arrange one.

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