Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

Deputy Deenihan is right in that the timescales for many of the recommendations in the report are short term or urgent. That is true for the most part, but there are also recommendations that will require some time to implement. As I said, I am aiming for a timescale of 12 to 18 months, which is short in view of the revolutionary nature of the report. We are talking about moving from a situation in which each officer commanding in a particular area is in charge - he or she decides what medical services are delivered and what the doctors do within his or her brigade - and towards a centralised command structure based in Dublin, the Curragh or wherever. That is a sea change. In addition, qualified doctors who are currently engaged in considerable amounts of administrative work will no longer be doing so but instead will be providing medical services. The number of unnecessary assessments, which, in my view, are a waste of a qualified doctor's time, will be reduced, thus ensuring more efficiency. In addition, we must ensure recognition for people so it will be worth their while, career-wise, to enter the Army.

Deputy Deenihan asked if I had consulted with the Royal College of Physicians and so on. I have not done so because I personally am not implementing the report. It is a matter for the Defence Forces to implement it and report to me. Naturally, my Department will maintain oversight in the matter. The Department, in its discussions with the Defence Forces, has pointed out that the portrayal of the Army as a rewarding career is central in terms of attracting people. If work in this regard has not already commenced, it is about to do so. Initial contacts may already have been made. I will communicate with the Deputy on the matter.

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