Kate O'Connell (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Let us go back to where it all started with the then Minister, Senator Reilly. I am actually a big fan of the Senator. As Deputy Durkan stated, the country was on its knees. We all accept that. It was not just the Judiciary and the doctors, as pharmacists took a similar cut. It had a massive impact on the sector. That took the form of a reduced pay bill, but the long-term impact has been far greater. It was essentially a false economy. We had to balance the books at the time.

The impact of what we discuss in the Houses is sometimes difficult for people at home to understand. Dr. Colleran has mentioned a person's expectation that the consultant his or her mammy meets in Tullamore or wherever is a real consultant. We are all of an age to remember the yellow packs. We do not want a devalued, inferior or two-tiered consultant.

It was always the case that doctors left college, entered the system, trained up and wanted to be consultants "when they grew up". I am not trying to trivialise it. As such, it is concerning that people are not even applying for jobs anymore. A question has been asked about how much money is needed. Some €20 million has been requested for the restoration of pay, which would to some extent encourage people back into the profession and even out the differential between private pay in private hospitals and the public contract. Although Sláintecare commits to removing private care from the public system, my understanding is that, when the 2008 contract was negotiated, it was to ensure that a consultant was not disadvantaged by working in the public sector. The contract was designed so that a consultant would not just leave to work in a private hospital.