I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter for discussion. I remember these development checks being carried out in respect of my children not so long ago. They are vital for good early childhood development. The checks include, as Deputy Gogarty mentioned, visits to the clinic and public health nurses coming to people's homes. They make sure that children are healthy and developing normally. If the checks reveal issues, it is really the first time for making early interventions and bringing in other services and other professionals to support a child's development. I always found that public health nurses were really good at their job. They are experienced, are grounded, build good rapport with children and parents and set people's minds at ease. It is concerning to hear from constituents that checks are not being done locally. A family in Killester contacted me. They were sent to Millmount in Drumcondra for their first check and then were told that neither Millmount nor Killester could send a nurse to them for the second check. A local development company in Coolock had a similar experience. It is getting feedback in Coolock and nearby areas that the checks are not happening. Those areas are marked by economic and social disadvantage. The last thing we need is to load issues relating to health checks and developmental issues onto the backs of hard-pressed families who live in the areas in question. I congratulate the Minister of State on her new post. It is vital that the HSE gets recruitment done as soon as possible in order to rebuild these teams. There is a need to have new nurses recruited and appointed in order that checks can start again. This is a really important front-line community service for young folks in particular. I urge the Minister of State and the Department to work with the HSE. I also urge that what we are discussing should become a priority for Government.

Sentiment score: 0.20

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I agree with Deputy Gogarty that something needs to be done around Dublin. The numbers are pretty stark. The health service capacity review of 2018 envisaged a big increase in the service by 2021. Baseline capacity was meant to be 2,000 public health nurses nationally by 2026. We are at just over 1,500, which is almost 500 short in terms of where the service is meant to be by now. I acknowledge there are challenges in recruitment and in keeping public health nurses, but it is a serious issue now and has to be dealt with straight away, whether through the NTPF or some other mechanism. I again urge the Minister of State that we try to prioritise it and get some capacity back into the Dublin region. These parents are worried about it, and it is a concern for them, as she will understand, that they get access to a service and to those checks again.

Sentiment score: 0.17