Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I agree with Deputy Gogarty that something needs to be done around Dublin. The numbers are pretty stark. The health service capacity review of 2018 envisaged a big increase in the service by 2021. Baseline capacity was meant to be 2,000 public health nurses nationally by 2026. We are at just over 1,500, which is almost 500 short in terms of where the service is meant to be by now. I acknowledge there are challenges in recruitment and in keeping public health nurses, but it is a serious issue now and has to be dealt with straight away, whether through the NTPF or some other mechanism. I again urge the Minister of State that we try to prioritise it and get some capacity back into the Dublin region. These parents are worried about it, and it is a concern for them, as she will understand, that they get access to a service and to those checks again.

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