Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I am taking it very seriously. We have had several debates in the Dáil on exactly this, which I think the Deputy might have been involved in. I wrote to the Chief Medical Officer recently to ask for a full review. There are certain areas, particularly in more disadvantaged communities, where they simply do not have enough staff. There are other areas where they are well resourced. It is simply not acceptable to tell parents, particularly when it is based on the average income of a community, to do the checks themselves. It is not acceptable. It is the inverse care law at work. In some cases, the communities that need it the most are not getting it. I have asked the Chief Medical Officer to engage across public health, in the first instance with a view to making sure we are getting the most out of what we have. If that means moving some nurses on a temporary basis, we have to do that. I funded an additional 25 public health nurse places in the budget. If the Chief Medical Officer comes back and says there is a need for additional resourcing, we can certainly look to reallocate within existing resources. I share the Deputy's concern in that regard.