James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

If there are 6,000 hospital doctors comprising 2,000 consultants and 4,000 non-consultant hospital doctors, which will change to 4,000 consultants, the pay equivalents do not stack up. Junior hospital doctors cost so much only because of the inordinate overtime they do, up to 100 hours per week. I doubt that is envisaged in the new consultant contract, so it will never be a 1:1 or even 1:2 ratio. Will the Minister explain what ratio she is working off because, as I pointed out, there is funding for only 20 consultants although she talks about appointing 100?

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