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

The Deputy is trying to make a big issue out of something that I admit is an issue in terms of our capacity to recruit the required number of doctors suited to be in the Defence Forces. Recruiting them is a problem. We have 20 but need 28. We need to find ways of attracting medical practitioners into the Defence Forces more successfully. However, I take issue with the Deputy's suggestion that because there are as many visits to general practitioners by members of the Defence Forces as he has quoted, there is some kind of health problem. The role of doctors and medical advisers to the Defence Forces is very different from that of medical personnel among the normal population. To be fair, the Deputy accepts that. The figure for medical practitioners is actually 36.

On recruitment, it is true to say that in 2011 there were no additional doctors in the Defence Forces. In 2012, there was one extra, in 2013 there was another one, and last year there were three. There are two currently under consideration for the start of the year. We are making some progress here but this is certainly an area that I am very aware needs constant attention. It is receiving attention. There is a committee examining this matter to ensure we proceed in a cost-effective way and, most important, in a way that is appropriate for a modern defence force.

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