Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Generally, they are here as often as possible.

I am taking the matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Harris. I want to thank the Deputy for raising it and giving me the opportunity to provide clarification.

I want to be clear, on behalf of the Minister for Health, that he expects the HSE to comply with statutory and policy requirements when filling consultant posts. He also recognises that the HSE has done an amount of work in the past year to ensure that is the case. However, it is recognised that there are limited circumstances where an experienced doctor, usually a senior registrar who would not be on the specialist register, may cover for an absent consultant. That is to ensure senior medical coverage and the provision of safe, quality care. The HSE has stated that this only occurs as a final option in emergency circumstances.

I wish to emphasise that any doctor who occupies a consultant post, even if he or she is not on the specialist register, would still hold a medical licence. It is similar to what the Deputy said about the pilot licence. They still hold a medical licence, and the Deputy should not try to give the impression that they do not-----

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