Results 1-20 of 1,056,182 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Ruairi Ó Murchú OR speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn OR speaker:David Cullinane OR speaker:Michael Ring OR speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Neasa Hourigan) in 'Committee meetings'

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: The Windsor Framework and Related Matters: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: That would be within the rules.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: The Windsor Framework and Related Matters: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: Go raibh maith agat. Cuirim fáilte roimh na finnéithe. I apologise; I was at another event in my constituency. I have a whole pile of excuses that the witnesses will not be particularly worried about.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: The Windsor Framework and Related Matters: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: They are. We are operating on a particular timeline, a bit like the witnesses in what they are talking about. Usually I say that I apologise if I repeat myself, but I probably will not do so here. The crux of the matter is that there is an issue with veterinary medications. If this thing runs out in 2025, we are talking about something that will be somewhat disastrous if we cannot get...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: The Windsor Framework and Related Matters: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: Who are the players who really need to gear up here?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: The Windsor Framework and Related Matters: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: Otherwise, disaster.

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?