Results 781-800 of 1,140,916 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Michael McNamara OR speaker:Maurice Quinlivan OR speaker:James O'Connor OR speaker:Patrick O'Donovan OR speaker:Frank Feighan OR speaker:Jennifer Carroll MacNeill OR speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice OR speaker:Dara Calleary OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue OR speaker:Chris Andrews OR speaker:Chris Andrews8 OR speaker:Bríd Smith OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Chris Andrews6 OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Marian Harkin OR speaker:John Lahart OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Martin Browne OR speaker:Paschal Donohoe OR speaker:Cormac Devlin OR speaker:Roderic O'Gorman OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:Joe McHugh OR speaker:Claire Kerrane OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív OR speaker:John Brady OR speaker:Simon Harris OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív98 OR speaker:Brian Stanley OR speaker:Brendan Howlin OR speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív46 OR speaker:Brendan Griffin OR speaker:Neale Richmond OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív1 OR speaker:Matt Carthy OR speaker:Brian Leddin OR speaker:Sorca Clarke OR speaker:Chris Andrews7 OR speaker:Joe Flaherty)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: I am conscious that many people are trying to get in to contribute, so I ask that we keep the slots to ten minutes or less if it is possible. I call Deputy Lahart.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: I thank the members of Fórsa for coming in and for the presentation. I have broad sympathy for many of the points made. I just wish to clarify a few things. Robert Watt was quoted. I was here the day he made that presentation. I can understand why the witnesses would select that quote, but he made many other substantial contributions in terms of trying to not curtail costs, and I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: Before the witnesses respond, I ask that we try to avoid mentioning people by name. I am conscious people are not here. They are all big boys and well capable, but we are working to a position where we are conscious people are not here. I do read out at the start of the meeting a note stating people should not be identified. I ask, therefore, that if it is the HSE, the Department of Health...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: I am glad the Cathaoirleach said it. One of the things I would have said, having been a member of this committee for five years, is that while I am not here as an apologist for Bernard Gloster, I found him to be a breath of fresh air to deal with as CEO of the HSE.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: I am repeating what I said at the start. Could we try not to identify people? I thank the Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: That is a question. Fórsa was extremely concerned by reports last week that HSE HR has directed all vacant posts to be switched off on the SAP payroll system. That would alarm me if it is true. Do the witnesses have evidence they can give us?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: We are on the record here. That is what I am concerned about. I would like clarification of exactly what that means. How does the SAP payroll system work? Are vacancies visible? Is that what Ms Connolly is saying?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: To drill down more into that, to whom is that data available?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: If we tabled a parliamentary question about vacancies in the HSE, would that be a place the HSE would go to and where it should be able to see vacancies? Ms Connolly is saying now that that data has been removed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: I am not arguing with Ms Connolly on this. That is alarming if that is the case because if vacancies existed, they are now not visible as existing, so the system is suggesting there are no vacancies.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: As a member of the committee, though I am not speaking for the committee, I am sure the HSE is watching and if that is true, I am sure the committee wants to hear an account of what that is about. Either the vacancies are visible or they are not. If they are not, why has that happened? The other side of this relates to private contractors. I will let the witnesses come back because I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: The policy choice is to say to the HSE that it can employ 6,000 additional people this year, and the HSE employed 8,500, or that it did not have the budget to employ 2,000 additional staff during Covid, but it employed them, so the Government is going to cover that cost. The Department and Government are saying the HSE cannot continue to employ thousands of people over the budgets it has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: I will pick up on that last point. It is important that we get the full picture. I address this to Deputy Lahart too. We all know that the population is growing and ageing, and the level of dependency is increasing. It is important to bear in mind that the budget allocation to help last year was insufficient. That is not just me saying that; the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council said it when...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Turning to the productivity and savings task force, the expectation is that staff would be well represented on a body like that. What was Fórsa's experience of looking for that representation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That is incredible. It is very hard to understand.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Of course.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: It is really important that a cost-benefit analysis be carried out on that within different sectors of the health service. There is a view that private healthcare is more efficient, cheaper and so on but, of course, we know that is not the case in the long run. Even so, we need to have the figures on that. On the net point about the data on the number of vacancies at 31 December last...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: I thank the representatives.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: We will try to follow up on that data and information, and it is also important that we try to find out the direction of HR at the HSE in respect of vacant posts being switched off on the SAP payroll system. I know the union submitted a freedom of information request but we can try to follow it up formally as a committee as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: Before that, does Mr. Jennings or Ms Carroll wish to reply?