Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The referendum issue has been adequately dealt with and there have been very constructive contributions on it this morning.

The junior doctors strike is an extremely important and serious issue. Over two years ago I flagged that we would have difficulties in how we would man hospitals because of the large number of Irish graduates leaving the country. Even if the HSE was to decide in the morning to sort out the problem of long hours for junior doctors, we would still have a problem in that there is an insufficient number of junior doctors staying in the country after graduating. The Irish Medical Organisation, the HSE and Department of Health should return to the table to try to resolve this issue in the short term. We should engage in more long-term planning to deal with it.

Will the Leader to convey to the Minister for Health the concerns of this House about this strike and the need to resolve the issues involved, given that the procedures or operations scheduled for many patients were cancelled today because of it? It is, therefore, imperative that they be sorted out at the earliest date.