Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 55 together.

As part of the modernisation agenda agreed under Sustaining Progress, a review of the provision of medical services in the Defence Forces has been ongoing. This review, involving the representative associations, has included the level of service to be provided to members of the Defence Forces and the resources required for the delivery of that service.

The review, carried forward into the modernisation agenda agreed under Towards 2016, has already delivered an agreed medical services patients' charter. Work on developing a revised structure for the delivery of medical services for the Defence Forces is ongoing.

The key issue is the acknowledged shortage of medical officers-doctors in the medical corps. The establishment for doctors provided for in the new organisation of the Defence Forces, introduced on foot of the White Paper on Defence, is 47. However, the current strength of medical officers serving in the Defence Forces is 22. There has been recruitment of medical officers each year but the number attracted to work in Defence Forces has just served to address natural wastage.

The problems with recruitment of medical officers into the Defence Forces have endured for some time, despite the concerted efforts of the Department and the Defence Forces to address the root causes. The pay and allowances of doctors and dentists in the Defence Forces were recently increased substantially, in consultation with the Minister for Finance. This linked their pay to public health doctors and dentists. In addition, the Defence Forces have recently undertaken an intensive recruitment campaign. The results of both of these initiatives, however, have been disappointing. Civilian general practitioners are regularly engaged to provide primary care where medical officers are not available.

The development of the capacity of the medical corps also forms part of the programme for Government. I am committed to providing a medical service to meet the needs of the Defence Forces both at home and abroad. I am reviewing progress of the ongoing structural review and considering concrete steps to ensure our commitments in this regard.

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