Mr. Robert Watt:

Deputy Lahart mentioned GPs. To give the numbers again, and we will circulate this note rather than reading out all the numbers in detail, in terms of the number of GPs in the training programme and then coming into the service, there is an increase of about 10% per year. For this year it is projected there will be 184, and by the end of this decade it will be up to 324 each year. There is a very significant increase in the numbers training and now entering. I know and accept the question - I think it was from Deputy Burke - about people leaving, and there is a large percentage of GPs - I think about 35% - who are over 55. However, we are training as quickly as we possibly can and that will start to have an impact.

As I said at the start, in simple terms we need to train more doctors. Last year we offered 720 places in September 2021 to EU citizens and that is increasing by 60 this September. We have plans to increase that by 200. We need to do much more than that. That is a real issue for the schools and is a real policy challenge, how we increase that capacity. It might need the establishment of new schools and new ways of accessing training places. It is a big challenge for us but we need to do it because we just do not have enough doctors.