Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join Deputy Ó Fearghaíl in wishing colleagues and staff a happy new year and welcoming them back for what we expect to be a busy term in the Dáil.

I am advised by the military authorities that as of 9 January 2015, there are 20 doctors employed as medical officers in the Permanent Defence Force. The current establishment figure for medical officers qualified as doctors in the Permanent Defence Force is 28. There is an ongoing recruitment effort to appoint doctors to fill vacancies for medical officers in the Defence Forces. To this end, a competition for the appointment of doctors remains open, with applications being accepted on an ongoing basis. Unfortunately, there has been and remains a limited response to this competition. As suitably qualified applicants are identified, they are interviewed with regard to their suitability for service in the Defence Forces. In 2014, three doctors were appointed as medical officers, and a further two applicants are currently progressing through the selection process.

Due to the difficulty experienced in recruiting doctors to the Defence Forces, it has been necessary to identify alternative options for the provision of medical services, including consideration of the outsourcing of Defence Forces domestic medical services. In this connection, a joint civilian-military standing committee was set up with a view to advancing the development of a sustainable integrated medical service and addressing the appropriate means of delivery of key medical capabilities for the Defence Forces. An integrated model for provision of the required medical services, involving both the medical corps and outsourced service provision, is currently being progressed.

I take this opportunity to assure the House that Defence Forces personnel requiring medical treatment are getting the care they need. I am committed to providing a sustainable medical service to meet the needs of the Defence Forces both at home and abroad.

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