David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will make a final pointed directed to the Cathaoirleach. We again have a representative organisation before the committee raising issues relating to workforce planning and legitimate issues in respect of the need to train more dentists and recruitment and retention issues. There is no element of healthcare where this issue is not being raised. It is having a fundamental effect on the ability of the public system to deliver care. We are seeing it in home care, nursing homes, dentistry, hospitals, community care and services for children with disabilities. I suggest that when the committee comes back after the summer recess, we consider having a session on workforce planning. It is central to everything. If there is an inability to recruit staff, we will just be going around in circles talking about the problems. Based on the information that has been provided to the committee, funding is being made available to recruit dentists but there is simply an inability to recruit them. We need to have a serious conversation with the Department and the people who lead out on it. We need the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, and the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, to appear before us because they both have a responsibility in this regard. It is a critical issue to delivering good quality healthcare and we need to do a session on it. That is my recommendation to the committee. I thank the Cathaoirleach and the witnesses.