Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. I am expecting a preliminary briefing on the HIQA report in February and the final report will be in May.

I applaud the Deputy's question on consultant contracts and 24-7 on-site rostered consultant presence in our hospitals with emergency departments. The new consultant contract doubles the normal rostered times, which was a really important move. Our view was that we could not go further than that. We have succeeded in having a lot of interest internationally in the new consultant contract. Since this Government came in, our consultant numbers have gone up from approximately 3,200 to approximately 4,500. There is a lot of interest around the world and many Irish trained doctors are coming home. I think we got the balance right.

Had we gone to a normal roster on a 24-7 basis, we would not have had the level of interest in the contract that we need. In the long term, however, I am 100% of the view that busy hospitals with emergency departments should have regular rostered consultant 24-7 presence, as is the case in hospitals I visit around the world. When I talk to those hospitals about the rostering in Ireland, in some cases they are very surprised to hear that. I believe we should move there. We are not about to re-open the consultant contract. At least, this Government is not about to do so. I do not think there is any appetite to reopen the consultant contract now. It is a good contract. It was hard-negotiated and hard won. It is doing the business but, within that, we have to maximise the normal rostered on-site hours. As I said, it will double the normal rostering.