Ms Marina Dillon:

I do not know if I am best placed to answer that but I would say yes, it does. Only 47% of the posts that should be filled in the HSE are filled. There is a great need for more psychologists in the HSE. I also heard a statistic from the Psychological Society of Ireland that only one fifth of all fully qualified clinical psychologists go on to work for the HSE even though they are the only ones being funded. That is poor investment, as I see it. Being a counselling psychology trainee myself, I have to pay €45,000 in fees over three years. I am also working on placements for free. I have a family and very little time to earn an income but I am doing that, squeezing it in the evening and at the weekends.

It is unsustainable and totally unfair. I have colleagues who are doing the same job as clinical trainees and even working with the same clients yet they are not being paid and the clinical trainees are. There is no rhyme nor reason as to why that is and it must change.