There is a huge crisis at Tipperary University Hospital, TUH, which was previously know as South Tipperary General Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital. The embargo that is in place is preventing recruitment. According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, safe working and other practices are being eroded. We need these posts. It is not a matter of funding. Those posts exist already but people have left, retired, are on sick pay or on maternity leave and the posts need to be filled immediately. Safe working practices have been eroded according to the hospital's own guidelines and the nurses' own guidelines. We need these posts filled immediately and do not talk about there being no embargo and they have all been recruited. This is happening in real time. These statements to the effect that 70 nursing position have not been filled were made by the INMO.

The Deputy may have missed my earlier response regarding the health budget. There are 3,000 additional staff being recruited this year.

This is for 70 posts.

I understand.

Please.

I will raise the point the Deputy raised directly with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. Everyone understands that in order to fill posts across the sector, it can take some time because, effectively, we have full employment.

It is 70 posts.

I will bring the matter up with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and I will ask him to respond directly to the Deputy because he has raised an important point. We want to make sure staff safety and patient safety is paramount. I will raise it with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly.