Mr. Peter Hughes:

Deputies Neville and Harty asked similar questions. They highlighted the fact that it takes more than a certain salary to attract people back. I think a salary can act as a huge incentive. As Senator Devine has said, the graduates who were part of the graduate scheme would have some reservations about returning home. I hope that we will get them back. We must develop services, make them attractive and provide promotional opportunities. I also wish to mention subsidised accommodation, but we cannot provide same.

Earlier I spoke about the purchasing power parity, PPP, ratio in different countries. Ireland is below the PPP ratio. One can talk about the cost of living in cities like Sydney and London, but when one applies the PPP ratio, in terms of an hourly rate, one can see that Ireland is still below. Ireland does not measure up to the other countries in that respect. In other countries one has greater purchasing power or one's money goes further. That is one element.

Deputy Catherine Martin mentioned services in Waterford, how demoralised the staff there are, and people sleeping in beds. There has been very little community development in the area but it is not the only one. The alternative to hospital admission is to constantly keep pressure on bed capacity in the area. Waterford now takes all admissions since the psychiatric unit in Wexford closed bar a small number of admissions from Gorey upwards that travel to Newcastle. There are extra pressures now. As has been done all along, beds were closed quickly without resources being allocated to communities.

I know I have harked on about a 24-7 service. In Australia a 24-7 service has been provided for 30 years and the UK has had one for the past 25 years, but this country does not have even one such service. This country is way behind. Years ago I worked in Australia as part of a team to provide 24-7 care. This country does not even have a service that resembles that and the closest we have is a few home-based teams. Senator Devine referenced the scheme in the Cavan-Monaghan district, which has proved successful. Has the scheme been replicated anywhere else in this country? No. The relevant authority seems to have adopted the view that the scheme worked once but it will not work anywhere else. That seems to be an issue.

We go to services and look for any developments as per the national policy document, A Vision for Change, or the next version of same, but the providers can say they do not believe in the model. We need the national policy to be applied consistently and standardised. We should roll out schemes nationwide that have been proven to work. That is why I have called for a 24-7 service to be rolled out in two rural areas and two urban areas on a pilot basis. If the scheme works, it can be rolled out nationally and, therefore, become the national standard.