Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to see that there are plans to extend the number of doctors and therapists, but more work is required.

Any young person going to college or doing a course wants to be free to travel, and to leave the country if they want, and they have a right to freedom. Has the Department considered offering to pay for courses for students for two or three years, or whatever is needed and, in return, they would have to stay in Ireland and work for six or seven years? That could solve the retention problem. The State would pay for the course and their education and they would give a commitment to stay in the country. Our biggest problem is that people stay for a year, see how difficult it is and that there is not enough staffing in the CDNTs and they are seriously enticed to go to other countries that have better services. Has any thought gone into something like that?