Results 1,421-1,440 of 1,223,278 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Josepha Madigan OR speaker:Ruairi Ó Murchú OR speaker:Seán Canney OR speaker:John Lahart OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Marc MacSharry OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Ivana Bacik OR speaker:Cathal Crowe OR speaker:Michael Ring OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl OR speaker:Patricia Ryan OR speaker:Colm Brophy OR speaker:James Browne OR speaker:Holly Cairns OR speaker:Michael Creed OR speaker:David Cullinane OR speaker:Catherine Martin OR speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire OR speaker:Pa Daly OR speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Bernard Durkan OR speaker:Paschal Donohoe OR speaker:Pat Buckley OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Johnny Mythen OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan OR speaker:Michael Collins OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Jim O'Callaghan OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly OR speaker:John McGuinness OR speaker:Cormac Devlin OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl1 OR speaker:Gino Kenny OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh17 OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh07 OR speaker:Neale Richmond OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh19 OR speaker:Catherine Connolly OR speaker:Danny Healy-Rae OR speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice OR speaker:Simon Harris OR speaker:Marian Harkin OR speaker:Michael Lowry OR speaker:Mick Barry OR speaker:Seán Ó Fearghaíl9 OR speaker:John Brady OR speaker:Hildegarde Naughton OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh8) in 'Committee meetings'

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

Bernard Durkan: I refer again to the ageing population, which comes up all the time. I do not think that the number of old people is increasing. I think the number of younger people is increasing at a far more rapid rate. If one looks at the people congregating in supermarkets, stores and shops, with employment in the economy, there are huge numbers of young people coming into the country. We are also...

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

Seán Crowe: There has been growth of 300% and 400% in the number of older people in some of the estates I represent because people are living longer. That view is based on census returns, not made-up figures. Do the witnesses wish to respond to that?

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)

David Cullinane: The witnesses are very welcome and I thank them for their opening statement. I ask them to clear up some confusion in this area. Anyone listening to this discussion in recent months will have seen a lot of smoke and mirrors. On the one hand, the Minister for Health has been telling us we have never had it so good with all of this recruitment that we have seen over the last number of years,...

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

David Cullinane: When the Minister for Health was before the committee last week I put it to him that if he disputed the figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, SIPTU, Fórsa or any other organisation on suppressed, lost or decommissioned posts, he should provide the real number and I did not get an answer. Is the lack of an answer because the data is not being captured or does the HSE...

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

David Cullinane: I accept that. Ms Connolly spoke about a lack of transparency about the data underpinning the pay and numbers strategy and the other healthcare trade unions have made a similar point. She made another important point, which should be noted, that HSE HR was directed to essentially switch off the vacancies on the SAP payroll system. If vacant posts are switched off and gone, is the...

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

David Cullinane: Are these posts that were marked as vacant on the HSE's SAP payroll system?

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

David Cullinane: They have just vanished.

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

David Cullinane: Yes. I wish to come back to the concluding remarks in Fórsa's opening statement. Before I do that, another important point was made when it was said that we should not conflate new development posts with core service delivery, the replacement of staff, staff turnover, etc. From what was said, I am assuming that the Minister quite rightly is saying there is recruitment and that the...

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

David Cullinane: Fórsa is asking that the Minister and the Government, or at least the HSE anyway, would negotiate with Fórsa and other healthcare trade unions on the pay and numbers strategy, which makes sense, have a workforce plan, which makes sense as well, and deal with safe staffing levels. Another observation I will make is that it is very odd and bizarre that we train so many healthcare...

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

David Cullinane: It has more than doubled.

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.