I have been contacted by a group of midwives in Galway who have completed their internships. They are fully qualified but have been informed that there is currently a recruitment freeze in the health service and positions will not be offered to them. This is despite the fact that the director of midwifery at University Hospital Galway has confirmed to them that there are currently 23 vacant midwifery posts across the Galway University Hospitals. These midwives have spent years in education, training and gaining clinical experience in order to qualify. We know that there are significant staffing pressures in our hospitals. It is totally unacceptable that they would not be employed within our public health service. This is a direct result of Government policy, which has imposed unrealistic budgets and which has restricted hospitals from directly recruiting the essential staff they need. These talented people who have worked hard to qualify as midwives deserve to be employed by the HSE. These vacant posts should be filled in order that these midwives can provide care to women and families and not be lost to countries abroad. I want the Minister to give a commitment that this will happen.

Budget 2026 allocated €27.4 billion in funding for the health system in 2026, which is a record allocation of current expenditure and an increase of 6.2% on 2025. We stood up a structure of regional executives that were given an employment allocation in the context of the record budget we introduced. In some instances, those executives recruited in excess of that. It is matter for those executives, in conjunction with the HSE and the Department of Health, to ensure that we absolutely prioritise clinical staff, nurses and the front-line interface of patient services.

I reject the suggestion that we have an underfunded health service. We have a health service that has been funded to an exceptional level over the past number of years, rightly so, and that has been underpinned by Sláintecare and so on. We also need to ensure we prioritise how we recruit.

What about the recruitment of these midwives?

I am sorry Deputy, time is up. I call Deputy Darren O'Rourke.

It is a matter for the HSE-----

Minister, time is up.

-----and the Department of Health to prioritise any further recruitment in line with the budget we have provided.