On 18 April, I asked the Minister of State, Deputy Butler about the lack of public health nurses across the Dublin 8 and Dublin 12 areas, especially regarding childhood development checks. The reply given to me by the Minister of State was that it was not a funding issue or a moratorium issue, but that it is due to a lack of public health nurses for that area. She said she would bring my concern back. I also followed up for details in a written question and was then told it was a HSE service matter. That is not the impression I got from the Minister of State at the time. There was only one public health nurse for children and one for older people. Now I am informed there is only one public health nurse for the whole area. I have seen a letter sent to parents dated 13 June which states that the public health service is moving to priority status in their area, the nursing staff shortage is having an impact on delivering routine child health and development assessment and that at this time, public health nurse services are not in a position to deliver child health and development services.

You have known this for two years. The situation has got worse. You have done nothing to intervene. The Minister for Health said he would intervene and said it was a postcode issue because every other child in the country can access this service. What are you going to do about it? I am asking the Taoiseach to intervene through his child poverty unit. This is a health poverty situation for children in this area. It is outrageous.

While I know the Deputy is very annoyed, the HSE is in charge of recruitment in respect of public health nurses.

You said you would intervene.

I said I would intervene and I brought it to the attention of the Department, which brought it to the attention of the HSE. It has been raised in the House by many Deputies in your area. For some reason, there is a significant challenge in recruiting public health nurses in that particular area. I understand how important public health nurses are in relation to young babies, their mothers and older people. There is a serious challenge here. It is not affected by the moratorium because this was an issue before the moratorium was ever in place. The overriding recruitment piece is not down to me as Minister of State. My job is to try to secure funding with the Government and the Taoiseach. The issue is that the HSE has to operationalise the funding we get. It has failed to recruit someone in that area because there were challenges in that particular area.

There has to be an interim solution.