Results 1-20 of 1,071,930 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Brian Stanley OR speaker:Maurice Quinlivan OR speaker:Neasa Hourigan OR speaker:Michael Healy-Rae OR speaker:Verona Murphy OR speaker:Duncan Smith OR speaker:David Cullinane)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I welcome all the witnesses. There is a lot of smoke and mirrors in relation to the pay and numbers strategy and the embargo that we just had for the best part of a year, including what we call it. We call it a recruitment embargo and the HSE wants to call it a temporary freeze. We have had all this messing for the best part of a year. What we can say for a fact is that there has been a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: Okay, I have that point-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I have that point, and it is a valid point. I want to come back to the central point that has been made by all of the witnesses here, which is the suppressing of posts. I am looking at Ms Ní Sheaghdha's own opening statement. Some 2,000 nursing and midwifery posts have effectively been abolished. For listeners, people watching and those worried about what is happening in hospitals,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I just want to be clear on the numbers. When Ms Ní Sheaghdha says 2,000 nursing and midwifery posts have effectively been abolished, were they posts advertised and funded by the HSE, or are they posts where line managers would have identified a need?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: Okay. I want to come on to SIPTU with regard to other non-nursing grades. Does SIPTU have a number as to how many of those grades would have been abolished, in effect, as well?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: What I am seeing from Mr. Ginley's opening statement is that the HSE refused to share data with any union as to how many funded and approved vacancies have been suppressed. Mr. Ginley is looking for that information but has not been given it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I want to offer the remaining time I have to Ms Kelleher who is, we are told, a radiation therapist. Ms Kelleher might be able to give us a sense - Mr. Ginley spoke in his opening statement about equipment not being utilised and the shortage of radiation therapists - of what effect the embargo has had on her grade and on the service that her professionals and colleagues provide. I will give...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: Through the Chair, I ask that if the unions are telling us they have sought data and they have not got it, maybe we can use our own offices here to request that information from the HSE regarding suppressed posts, unfilled posts and all of the information that the unions have not got. There has not been any engagement. What the witnesses are telling us is that unilateral decisions were made...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: I will pick up on some of the points from earlier in the meeting. This discussion is a great one to have directly after the meeting we had last week, which touched on some of the issues regarding staff ceilings, which is the new phrase used in place of the word "moratoriums". There was some discussion about radiation therapists and radiotherapy more generally. I have some questions on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: I apologise. My question on agency staff was not in respect of radiation therapy. I am asking about the situation across the health service. I totally understand that many agency staff are covering a maternity or sick leave and are not appropriate for the conversion scheme. At the same time, there are services that are being held up by agency staff who really should be HSE staff.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: I totally accept that. From our point of view, it would be useful to understand what percentage that 900 is of the total agency staff.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Going back to cancer care, we have discussed radiotherapy. There are significant delays at the moment, or at least concerning reports of such delays, in chemotherapy services. What is the witnesses' impression in that regard? Is the situation affected by staff ceilings or the previous moratorium, particularly in terms of capacity in day wards? I presume day wards require significant...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: To be clear, where there were not waiting lists previously, they are now being introduced?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Is there a figure for the percentage of the rise over the time of the moratorium?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: Is there not a figure available for month-by-month expenditure as a percentage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: There was a 10% increase. I return to chemotherapy delays and the issue with clinical nurse specialists. Regarding the recruitment of oncology nurses and the revision of the use of space, I presume there is specifically a requirement for the recruitment of oncology nurses. Will Ms Ní Sheaghdha outline some of the barriers arising in that regard?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: I am almost out of time but, if the Cathaoirleach will allow, I have a final question. Has the HSE provided the INMO with any monitoring or governance structure specifically to monitor any regional disparity that arises as the six authorities start to make decisions on staffing, for example, that might not align with each other?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Neasa Hourigan: The INMO will be asking for that engagement. However, has the HSE not come to it with a mechanism for doing that?

Financial Resolution No. 4: Stamp Duties (1 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: 10 o’clock I thank the Deputies for their contributions. We share a common interest in changing the market here and this is why we are raising the stamp duty. There were already significant reductions in the instances of bulk buying of apartments on the market and this will further reduce that. Any ones that are going are probably an example of legacy developments. This...