Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is clear there are not enough people coming out of college to fill all the positions that are needed. Oonagh Buckley told us she would like to see the staff complement of the board increased by 100, rather than the figure of 59 or whatever it was that was put forward last year. The CCMA told us the 500-plus staff it identified as needed in the middle of last year was just to deal with what was required at that point, rather than to deal with requirements arising from the Bill. It may be that what is needed in addition to regulations is a workforce plan for a five- or ten-year period. Not all of the Bill will be commenced within a year or two; some of it will take many years to be commenced. If there was a workforce plan for the industry developed with people like the witnesses and the colleges and universities, then one would, at least, know the expected annual increase in terms of professionals coming into public or private practice and be able to gauge which sections of the Bill should be commenced in accordance with that. I presume that is not a discussion the witnesses are hearing or having with the Department.