Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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1445. To ask the Minister for Health the degree to which he expects to approve the recruitment of extra staff to various levels throughout the HSE with particular reference to areas in respect of which deficiencies in staff numbers have been identified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33790/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the provisions in Budget 2021 for funding for up to 15,738 additional posts in the Health Service Executive, above what was funded for 2020.In line with statutory provisions, the National Service Plan will set out further detail on the positions, including the breakdown of the staff categories to be recruited. These staff will also enable an expansion of the capacity in our health system to ensure its resilience to future surges in demand.

In order to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and to meet workforce demands, several initiatives were undertaken to expand the workforce to ensure adequate staffing levels. These measures have allowed the health workforce to increase by 4,292 whole-time equivalents from the end of February to the end of September this year. While this increase in the workforce was necessary to provide support to the immediate healthcare needs caused by the pandemic, a larger and more permanent expansion of the workforce is underway through the Winter Plan and Budget 2021. This expansion is necessary to support the resilience of the services in the face of COVID-19 but also to ensure that our healthcare system is resourced to meet the healthcare needs of the population far into the future.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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1446. To ask the Minister for Health if in the absence of full-time appointments, temporary or interim appointments in respect of whole-time or part-time positions can be made in the short-term rather than the postponement of making full-time appointments particularly in respect of various professionals who have answered Ireland’s call; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33791/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As appointments and contracts are a matter for the Health Service Executive, I have asked them to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.