Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 January 2026
448. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of the costs associated with agency staffing in the health sector; the measures in place to reduce reliance on such staffing to ensure value for public money; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7265/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAccording to the most recent data available, total expenditure on agency staff working in Department of Health funded services for the eleven months to the end of November 2025 was €748 million.
As per the HSE's 2026 National Service Plan there is a commitment to reducing these costs by €80 million next year. Proposed action intended to achieve these ends will be set out in the 2026 Productivity and Savings Taskforce Action Plan. Proposed actions include:
• Recruit/convert people working on an agency basis to permanent HSE employed staff.
• Implement effective control framework over agency costs throughout the HSE.
• Increase core capacity and reduce the need for agency through improved rostering to reduce the need for both agency and overtime.
• Establish internal HSE staff banks as an alternative to agency arrangements.
• Eliminate ‘off framework’ agency use.
These commitments align with similar proposals included in the WRC agreement of the 30/03/2025 between the HSE and the health services unions.
