I want to start by thanking all of the nurses, not just in this country, but all of our Irish nurses right across the world in Australia, Canada and America. Some of our best and brightest young people are educated here, which is paid for by the taxpayer, and then essentially forced abroad. That is what has happened over many years. It is devastating to hear that there are new talks of a recruitment freeze, given that the previous recruitment freeze drove our best and brightest away. Now, the Department is talking about another recruitment freeze. This cannot happen. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. The health service is under immense pressure. Nurses are under immense pressure. There are over 5,000 unfilled nursing and midwifery positions in the HSE. I also want to talk about the National Ambulance Service. I support all of the men and women who are standing on picket lines across the country. In Mayo, there are areas that are incredibly poorly served. In Erris recently, Stephen Lavelle, God rest his soul, was left without an ambulance for a considerable length of time. I support them and I urge the Minister of State to do so. They are under immense pressure, and we need to support the National Ambulance Service.

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