Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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2187. To ask the Minister for Health if the recruitment embargo will be lifted from the health services, particularly attritional staff reductions due to retirements, resignations, and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19613/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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2188. To ask the Minister for Health to engage with the HSE on the pause in recruitment for positions of physician associate; the number of students the HSE funded to partake in a qualifying course; and the amount of funding spent on students who have not yet taken up employment, due to the pause in recruitment. [19630/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The 2025 HSE National Service Plan committed to an independent expert to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the Physician Assistant role internationally and make recommendations for standardisation, scope of practice, and appropriate deployment in Ireland. The Independent Reviewer will look at the role of the Physician Associate/Assistant and make recommendations regarding the governance of the role, scope of practice, and appropriate deployment in Ireland.

The review will consider the benefits and value in the HSE Healthcare system of the role as well as potential risks. The reviewer will give due cognisance to the matters raised and lessons learned in other jurisdictions where this role was introduced. HSE has also paused the recruitment of Physician Assistants. With regard to HSE funding of Physician Assistant students, I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.