On Tuesday, 22 September 2026, Dáil Éireann published a set of written parliamentary questions on the subject of Health Services Staff. The official Oireachtas record shows twelve deputies who asked questions on this subject: Darren O'Rourke, David Cullinane, Erin McGreehan, Ged Nash, Holly Cairns, Ken O'Flynn, Marie Sherlock, Michael Cahill, Niamh Smyth, Pádraig Rice, Paul Lawless and Ryan O'Meara.

The parliamentary record for this sitting includes a question from Deputy Pádraig Rice, who asked the Minister for Health whether her Department had commenced research into the development of a safe medical staffing framework, what work had been carried out to date, and the timeline she was working towards. The question carries the reference number 66621/26.

In the written answer published on the Oireachtas website, the Minister for Health stated that the Department of Health had recently commenced a research programme with RCSI to explore the development of an evidence-informed framework for medical workforce staffing and skill mix to inform future policy. The Minister's answer noted that the research project, led by a team at RCSI working with the Department and relevant stakeholders including HSE National Doctor Training and Planning, commenced in Q2 2026 and is due to be completed in Q4 2028.

The Minister also stated that a scoping review has commenced covering international and national evidence, and that a high-level overview of the research programme was introduced at the HSE NDTP annual conference in May 2026. According to the published answer, the Department of Health will continue to progress the work with RCSI and key stakeholders in 2026 and beyond.