222. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health her engagements with her counterparts at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation regarding pay, recruitment and retention of healthcare staff in the public sector; and to detail the policies of her Department and agencies under her remit related to the same subject. [73014/26]

I engage regularly with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and with officials from both Departments on a range of workforce matters across the public health service, including pay, recruitment and retention.

Pay for public healthcare staff is determined through national public service pay agreements and associated processes, which are negotiated on a whole-of-Government basis. My Department works closely with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation and with the HSE in relation to the implementation of these agreements and the implications for the health sector.

The recruitment and retention of healthcare staff remains a key priority for me and for the Government. Through the HSE's workforce planning processes, significant efforts continue to be made to attract, recruit and retain healthcare professionals across the public health service. These measures include ongoing recruitment campaigns, international recruitment initiatives, the expansion of training places in a number of healthcare disciplines, enhanced workforce planning, and measures aimed at improving staff wellbeing and workplace supports.

The Department and the HSE continue to implement a range of workforce policies under the Strategic Workforce Framework for Health and Social Care and related workforce plans. These policies are focused on ensuring that the health service has the right staff, with the right skills, in the right place, to meet current and future service demands.

Notwithstanding the progress made, challenges remain in certain staff groups and geographic areas. My Department and the HSE continue to monitor these issues closely and to work with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation on measures that support a sustainable workforce and the continued delivery of high-quality health services.

I am committed to continuing this engagement to ensure that the public health service can attract and retain the staff it needs to meet the growing healthcare needs of the population.