Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is. Recruitment for nursing-related grades has been challenging, particularly due to Covid-19, but every effort is being made to recruit. The breakdown of the 24 lactation consultant posts is 9.5 for maternity services and 14.5 for community services. I have the breakdown here of where they will be allocated. I am keen, in my role as Minister of State with responsibility for older people, that the postcode lottery has to stop. Regardless of where one lives, one should have access to the service. It should not be that someone living in a big city or town has the service and someone in a more rural area does not. They are actively recruiting so hopefully we will have a further update. I will bring back the Senator's concerns because it is important for new mothers, especially on their first baby when it is all so new to them, to have that support.