Professor Malcolm MacLachlan:

There are also many people who are receiving services and benefiting from those services. We also get reports that when people are in services, many of them are very satisfied with them. That is of no help at all to the people who are not getting access to those services. It is important that we acknowledge that anyone who is on a waiting list is almost by definition being failed.

The Senator correctly highlighted the austerity cuts and the fact that many sectors, but particularly the disability sector, have not recovered from those. The Senator spoke about people leaving - for example, people going to Australia. It is not that people get paid more in Australia; it is that the working conditions are better. There are more professions involved in a particular clinical environment. Irish medics and other clinicians are paid reasonably well. Irish medical consultants are paid very well, by twice-----