I also welcome the visitors from Laois. It is great to have them in the Chamber. I am going to speak about Laois once again. I will raise the issue of a deeply concerning report that landed on my desk this morning. It related to a HSE internal audit of doctor recruitment. The audit examined the files of 20 doctors employed across the HSE Dublin and Midlands region, which includes Portlaoise hospital. According to the report, only 14 files contained evidence of Garda vetting, 15 contained overseas police clearance and 13 contained the required evidence of English language competence. To be clear, a missing document does not mean that a doctor has a criminal record or cannot speak English but the HSE must be able to show that these checks were completed before a doctor begins treating patients. This raises serious questions. People in Laois depend on Portlaoise hospital every day. They deserve to know whether any of the files examined relate to the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise, whether the missing evidence has now been found and verified, and whether this problem extends beyond the small number of files that were audited.

I also want a debate in the House to allow the Minister to address concerns about doctors regularly being moved from Portlaoise hospital to Tullamore. How many doctors have been reassigned from Portlaoise and for how long? What assessments were made as to the effect on staffing and patient care in Portlaoise? Portlaoise hospital is on its knees as regards staffing levels. The maternity ward especially is absolutely bursting at the seams. The nurses there are run off their feet. I commend the nurses on the job they do but news of doctors being moved while there is a HSE embargo on staff recruitment is very concerning. I want to do everything I can to protect staffing levels in Portlaoise hospital.