In response to a recent parliamentary question, I received a letter from UL Hospitals Group informing me that the reason the essential services at Ennis injury unit were forced to close their doors for a full day in August and at other times in Nenagh and St. John's this summer was down to a staffing crisis. The crisis in our health service goes far beyond staffing, as the Taoiseach well knows. The programme for Government contains a commitment to target an increase in opening times for unscheduled care, radiology and diagnostic services in the community when we cannot see a stabilisation of the hours already committed to. What is the Government going do to secure the opening hours at Ennis injury unit in order to prevent further closures? How exactly does it plan to extend them? A €2 million state-of-the-art unit is no good to communities in Clare when that unit is closed for business.

On the broader issue of staff recruitment, there has been substantial recruitment in the health service over the past two years. I have not seen the documents the Deputy referred to but every effort is being made to streamline the recruitment processes more and to have more effective recruitment programmes in the HSE. The last two years have seen record numbers recruited but we need more and to do it more expeditiously.