Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is regrettable that the very people who are going to be on the front line of implementing any strategy are being excluded. I have my own view on why that would happen. We all share the same sentiment that it is regrettable that we are talking about a discussion document into which the witnesses had no input.

On the number of vacant consultant posts, they gave information on the age range and confessed to ageing themselves. I have to confess to the same. We are all going in the same direction. Are we facing an age-related cliff with regard to consultant posts, the number of vacancies, the number of retirements and the lack of consultants coming through or those who are leaving and not coming back? Do the witnesses think that if we had a more formalised system of continuing professional development and training, we would be able to resolve that issue and head it off at the pass?