Mr. Bernard Gloster:

In fairness, I would not go so far as to say it is pedestrian. It is a targeted initiative to increase the numbers going into training in the general practice programme. The general practice programme in Ireland is one of the most developed and most skilled programmes and while the doctors are in that training, they are already qualified doctors and making a contribution to seeing patients. The added bonus to that is now the two-year scheme for doctors trained outside the EU to come in. That will bring 50 doctors into practice this year alone, separate to the GP. The 9% is just 9% in our training programme. As the assistant secretary said, that will grow well north of 300 by 2026. There will still be pressure. No matter how many GPs we have on the register in Ireland, the nature of general practice and the work pattern of general practice is fundamentally altered from what it was.