Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I can read out for the Deputy the exact same answer I gave Deputy Colm Keaveney earlier. I know it is identical because I have read it. I understand what the Deputy is saying and why he is saying it. However, I must say the experience I have gathered over the past year or two has shown me very clearly that trying to put in place the posts for a new service in mental health is quite difficult. The bulk of the posts are in place. Recruitment for the posts approved in 2012 and 2013 is continuing. At the end of September, of the 416 posts approved in 2012, 397.5 have been recruited.

Regarding the 2013 posts, the recruitment process is completed for 370 of these posts and the majority of the remaining posts are expected to be filled by the end of this year or early next year.

In the interests of debate and in order that we all know exactly where we stand, I received a note last week from the national office. We now have a national office for mental health. We have a difficulty in some areas relating to being unable to recruit child and adolescent psychiatrists. Not alone did we go to the market in this country, we also went to England because we heard of an agency there that was having some success in recruiting this very specialised consultant. Having gone and looked, however, we had no success. Not alone did we not have success, a private provider that was offering a salary of €200,000 for an equivalent post did not have success. We have a difficulty in terms of the type of specialist post we are trying to recruit and in terms of changing the service in the dramatic and quick way we are trying to do it. I am very determined that this should happen quickly. We are having a difficulty regarding the posts and that has changed my view over the past year. It is better to try to operate in terms of what we have available and get in as quickly as possible those whom we can recruit.

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