Mr. Liam Woods:

On recruiting and retaining consultants, a small train of consultants leaves the public system to work entirely in the private system which I think the Deputy was also referring to. We continue to attract consultants within the acute system, which is the majority, including 2,700 of approximately 3,200 consultants in the whole system. We have approximately 60 more this year but it has become more challenging. What we are fundamentally after when we take on highly specialised clinicians normally returning from overseas is for them to have access to the facilities they need to do the work they can do. If we bring in interventional radiologists and neuroradiologists, we need to have spaces for them to operate in. That is challenging. We will need to invest in capital to support the growth in that service, which is in demand. There has been a small but not insignificant trend of movement from the public system to being entirely in the private system and outside the public environment. I met some young, recently-appointed consultants to assess their view of operating in the system as they have experienced it over the last two or three years. It would be fair to reflect that their main frustration is access to beds and facilities. Sadly, one of those then moved to the private system. There is a challenge for us. The Sláintecare agenda will be very supportive in addressing that because it will free up the flow and allow better use of the current space and hopefully additional space in time.