Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of all staff across the health service.

As the Deputy is aware, on 13 October 13, the HSE CEO announced a recruitment pause on all Grades that have grown beyond their recruitment targets for 2023. This is an extension of the pause on the recruitment of new and replacement staff in all grades in the Management and Administration category, announced a number of weeks ago.

The recruitment pause will include:

• Management and Administration posts
• Patient and client care (attendants/healthcare assistants/home help)
• Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors
• General Support

The recruitment pause is part of a suite of control measures, including an instruction to reduce expenditure on agency staff and management consultants across the HSE and Section 38 organisations.

Many areas of the HSE have been recruiting more staff than they are funded for. If this level of growth, in excess of budgeted targets, was allowed to continue uncontrolled, it would have significant financial implications for 2023 and following years, and adversely impact on the HSE’s ability to recruit essential patient facing staff next year.

This recruitment pause will exclude the following categories of staff, which have not exceeded their recruitment targets for 2023:

• Approved Consultant Posts and GP Training Posts
• Nursing and Midwifery
• Dentists & Orthodontists
• Health & Social Care Professionals
• National Ambulance Service Pre-Hospital Care

Apart from these above posts, and a certain number of posts in other categories which are at offer/contract stage, there will be no further growth in health sector workforce in 2023.