Mr. Peadar Ó Scanaill:

I will answer Senator Mulherin. Her comments that vets on the western seaboard have been totally neglected by the Veterinary Council might be a little unfair. There is no doubt that quite a few years ago, perhaps four, five, six or seven years ago, we recognised it was hard to get large animal practitioners. In fairness, UCD is a top class college and is world renowned, so much so that its graduates have the world at their feet and very often go abroad to further their education. We recognise that times have changed. Traditionally, many graduates on to the register here in Ireland almost immediately and then went into large animal practices. If many of those graduates, who obtained very high points and were very highly achieving students and are highly achieving vets, do not want to work in large animal practices, we cannot make them want to do it. What has happened, which is good, is that many Irish undergraduates who could not gain access to the Irish school are going abroad for their education and coming back. This year, we noted that more of the new graduates on the register have come from abroad than from the Dublin school. This has its own connotations and we will have to look at them. These are Irish boys and girls who have gone abroad. My daughter is away studying at present and there are many others. She is in her second year. In fairness, one must temper this particular point by stating the Dublin graduates can work in the US, Australia and a much wider field than the Irish graduates who go abroad for their education and come home. There is no doubt it has helped. A total of 26 from Budapest and 14 from Warsaw came onto the register as new graduates. Almost every one of them indicated to the Veterinary Council of Ireland that he or she will work with large animals. They are an extra tranche coming in and we are glad to see it. We recognised the issue but the market is fixing itself. This is to be seen across the board.