Results 1,341-1,360 of 1,161,871 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Paul Donnelly OR speaker:Pa Daly OR speaker:Martin Browne OR speaker:John Lahart OR speaker:Gary Gannon OR speaker:Mary Butler OR speaker:Catherine Martin OR speaker:Roderic O'Gorman OR speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:Jennifer Whitmore OR speaker:Helen McEntee OR speaker:Marc MacSharry OR speaker:Jennifer Carroll MacNeill OR speaker:Pippa Hackett OR speaker:Michael Healy-Rae OR speaker:Dessie Ellis OR speaker:Brian Leddin OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl OR speaker:Imelda Munster OR speaker:Michael Lowry OR speaker:Brendan Griffin OR speaker:Alan Dillon OR speaker:Denis Naughten OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly OR speaker:Ivana Bacik OR speaker:Cian O'Callaghan OR speaker:Hildegarde Naughton OR speaker:Marian Harkin OR speaker:Ruairi Ó Murchú OR speaker:Pádraig O'Sullivan OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:Gino Kenny OR speaker:Martin Heydon OR speaker:Seán Haughey OR speaker:Catherine Connolly OR speaker:Anne Rabbitte OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl9 OR speaker:Martin Kenny OR speaker:Mick Barry OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Brendan Smith OR speaker:Micheál Martin OR speaker:Niamh Smyth OR speaker:Michael Ring OR speaker:Danny Healy-Rae OR speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn OR speaker:Cathal Crowe OR speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett OR speaker:James Browne OR speaker:Richard O'Donoghue OR speaker:Pat Buckley OR speaker:Richard Bruton OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Darren O'Rourke OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:Mairead Farrell) in 'Committee meetings'

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

Seán Crowe: I do not think anyone disagrees. The fact is people are living longer, accessing healthcare and staying longer in the system, not because they are bed blockers or anything else but because they need to stay in it for health reasons.

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)

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?

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

Gino Kenny: I will probably only use five minutes of my time, as I have to be in the Chamber in five minutes’ time. How likely is it that this situation could end up in a strike?

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

Gino Kenny: It was said in the opening statement that the HSE has not engaged properly. What would a proper engagement look like?

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

Gino Kenny: On strategic planning and business improvement, am I reading the statement correctly that there is a figure of €79 million for a year?

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

Gino Kenny: What did they spend €79 million on?

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

Gino Kenny: There is no need to name names but in the second paragraph of the statement, it says that private consultancy firms were involved with this business plan. Do we know the composition of these?