Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have a couple of points on this. First and foremost, the petitioner is looking for the commissioning of a report. We should put a bit of framework around whatever study that would be carried out by having the representative bodies in here. I would go right across the medical profession and have all of them make a submission as to what they think should be put in place. Simply asking for a study could lead us anywhere. We must get them to focus in on what we want.

On the accommodation issue, we have been harping on about it in the defence area for a number of years. Deputy Buckley would be able to tell you of the fantastic job that has been done in Haulbowline in producing accommodation for sailors. It shows what can be done if the effort is put behind it. Approximately five or six years ago, I spoke to Respond, or Clúid, and I know that such bodies would be interested in putting an apartment block within close proximity to a hospital for example because in a situation like that, they would have a constant throughput of tenants. It is only right and proper. For example, the University of Limerick provides a conversion course from an ordinary degree to a medical qualification. In a lot of cases, the people involved in that course are already involved in relationships, have partners and the like and having accommodation they can use while they train would make perfect sense. All of these things must be costed and looked at and that is why we should bring the bodies before this committee to hear what they have to say. We could draft a report which might change the way we look at those who take these professions, as Deputies O'Donoghue and Buckley said. Gone are the days in which being a student doctor was the preserve of the sons of doctors, solicitors or somebody from the professions. Ordinary people can do it now, too. Therefore, we should do everything we can to level the playing pitch. I put that forward as a proposal. The representative bodies, like the IMO and the INMO, may quickly turn around and state they have no interest in this but if they did that, then we would know.