Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that. I do not expect Mr. Reid to know every nook and cranny as he leads a huge operation. After this meeting I ask him to look, with his senior staff, at appointing a discharge co-ordinator. It is the final piece in the jigsaw of making the facility a success.

With regard to intern doctors, I know it is a ministerial decision ultimately but last year there was a pilot scheme whereby the HSE service was bolstered by contracts offered to intern doctors. In County Clare and the mid-west region, several dozen doctors were added to the system allowing for better care at ward level. A campaign is under way and many of us are being lobbied. Will Mr. Reid comment on the benefits of the pilot scheme, which is mooted to be discontinued? Did it help the hospitals in offering a level of care in recent months by having newly qualified doctors contracted to the hospitals?