Results 1-20 of 1,058,606 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Pippa Hackett OR speaker:Patrick O'Donovan OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív OR speaker:David Cullinane OR speaker:Seán Crowe)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Business of Joint Committee. (2 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: I welcome everyone. I propose that we go into private session for 20 minutes. There are some issues the committee needs to deal with.

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

Seán Crowe: The purpose of today's meeting is for the joint committee to consider staffing levels in the HSE, specifically on the back of a letter received from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. I am pleased to welcome from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation Ms Phil Ní Sheaghdha, general secretary, Ms Caroline Gourley, president, and Mr. Neill Dunne, INMO member. I am pleased...

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

Seán Crowe: I invite Mr. Ginley to make his opening remarks on behalf of SIPTU.

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

Seán Crowe: There is a problem with the clock. It is stuck on ten minutes. We are asking people to stick to seven minutes. I will let Senator Kyne finish. I am just letting other members know.

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

Seán Crowe: The Senator's time is up.

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

Seán Crowe: Deputy Cullinane is next.

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)

Seán Crowe: We can certainly follow that up. Deputy Róisín Shortall is next.

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

Seán Crowe: To follow up on what was said about radiation services, the last time we had a group from the HSE and the Department before the committee, I raised the issue of a child with scoliosis who was in Crumlin hospital. The child was there a number of weeks in Crumlin hospital with the parents sharing the room with two other children because they could not get an MRI. Thankfully, the child has got...

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

Seán Crowe: I call Deputy Shortall. We will have a comfort break after that.