Dr. John Hillery:

I will answer two questions, if I could. I tell Senator Black that the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, like the College of General Practitioners, welcomes the Taoiseach's statement that the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill will be passed by the end of the year. That would be a major step forward from the point of view of mental health.

As regards Senator McFadden's question, the NHS has the same problems as we have about recruiting consultants. What is happening here and in the NHS is that agency staff are being used to fill long-term gaps, and agency staff get paid more than the consultant salary. I really cannot speak to how psychologists negotiate their pay. That is totally separate from my remit. The consultant's salary is based on many years of negotiation before she or I entered-----