Contrary to commitments in the programme for Government, we have a crazy situation in County Kerry for young, qualified psychiatric and mental health nurses. They are being told that while the HSE has full-time work for them on qualification, they cannot go to Kerry but must go instead to Dublin. We need psychiatric nurses in our county and I know of plenty of opportunities where facilities dealing with people's mental healthcare desperately need more nurses. However, the HSE says that while it will give them a full-time job, it will not be in Kerry. I want to know why. It does not make sense. If the jobs are there and they are needed on the ground, why are they being told to go to Dublin?

I thank Deputy Healy-Rae for raising the issue and acknowledging in the first instance that we are now offering all graduate nurses employment, which was not the case during the difficult years. In fact, we are now training more nurses than ever before in the history of the State. The challenge is to keep them here. As to the specific Kerry issue the Deputy raises, I am not familiar with the details. However, I will have it checked out and revert to him directly.