Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

Essentially, part of the issue may be that there are pay issues in the context of the constraints on the pay available for the recruitment of doctors.

There are also career issues with regard to doctors who have become part of the medical service within what is, by international standards, a small defence force. Some medical practitioners do not see that there is a substantial career advancement to be effected as a medic as such once they are employed in general medical issues within the Defence Forces.

Coming back to the question Deputy Stanton raised originally, the central medical unit does use the service of civilian medical practitioners to provide backup to the medical corps in ensuring that the health care requirements of all Defence Force personnel are met and civilian doctors and dentists are employed on an ongoing sessional basis, both inside and outside barracks, to maintain the services required.

In addition, the medical unit, in consultation with the Department, is looking at the potential to retain contracted doctors or, as I stated earlier, a contracted medical provider service. One may have, in the context of a particular barracks, a doctor who has work within a community but who is contracted also to the Defence Forces but who is not a member of the Defence Forces as the 16 who have been recruited would be.

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