Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I want to refute the term "yellow pack" consultants. I do not know what that is supposed to mean. I will not be appointing consultants; they will be appointed on the basis of their expertise. In many countries, after a doctor is trained as a consultant, he or she then takes up a consulting position. In Ireland one could be training for 20 years and never, unfortunately, be given a consulting position. I am not suggesting that every junior hospital doctor or non-consulting doctor should become a consultant. That is a decision I am not qualified to make nor should I make.

A consultant's basic pay begins at €139,000, rising to €181,000. On top of that, he or she will have allowances of about €22,000. That is not an inconsiderable salary. An academic consultant will be paid €222,000. There is not much private practice for many consultants in specialties such as geriatrics and paediatrics. In other areas, the opportunity for private practice, on top of the existing salary, exists. The intention with the working time directive is to reduce working time for a junior doctor from 77 hours to 55 hours per week. A junior hospital doctor receives almost the same pay as a consultant, particularly when one factors in overtime. On a 55 hour week, the earnings of a senior house officer stand at €104,000 while those on the special register stand at €152,000. We want fewer junior doctors in the health service. We have 2,000 consultants but 4,000 is the figure we need to achieve in the next few years. I hope we can have a new contract of employment that delivers flexibility and teamwork.

I referred earlier to the clinical directorate. Doctors are among the brightest and best educated of our graduates. Their remuneration must reflect that, as it does in other countries. This is not a question of saving money but of having flexibility and a contract of employment that suits our health care needs. It cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution. I want a range of different contracts that suit different circumstances.

In many countries, a doctor working in a peripheral location will be offered a more lucrative salary than if working in a large centre of population. I acknowledge the Deputy's comments on house prices. There is no doubt, particularly in Dublin, Cork and some of the larger cities, it is a factor in attracting people home.

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