Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his response but I really do not accept it. The HSE has dragged its heels in this matter. I bet that this is the first time the Minister of State has heard about this matter. Some 1,300 deaf children have no service. Given that four candidates presented and two were willing to go ahead with interviews, why was the public service embargo applied in the first instance? It was applied because of stupidity and because the HSE was not thinking, trying hard enough or making a case strongly enough. Why did it not try harder? When we were short of nurses, they were recruited in the Philippines.