Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With due respect, the Minister of State did not answer the question. In terms of a statutory framework, he said that all clinicians have a licence to practice. They do, but if the Minister reads the Medical Practitioners Act, he will see that it splits medical practitioners into two fields. There is the general licensing but then there is the specialist training licence regime. The Government has appointed consultants, pretending they are specialist registered consultants who have gone through that scheme, when they have not. That is what has happened here.

We know it is not in limited or emergency circumstances. We know it has happened on a systemic basis as a permanent solution to the recruitment crisis. Therefore, the analogy of the pilot who does not have a licence on the plane is very accurate because consultants whom the Government has appointed are practising as specialist, trained consultants when they are not such consultants. That is a fundamental breach of trust, ethics and the core principles of clinical practice. It raises serious issues concerning patient safety and care.

When patients believe consultants are properly trained and qualified to do the job when in fact they have not gone through the full specialist training scheme, it is a massive issue of trust, care and clinical outcomes. When the consultants have not the experience and have not gone through the specialist scheme, it has an impact on clinical safety. That is why we have rigorous, proper schemes through the various clinical faculties across medicine.

The Minister of State needs to explain this and also address it. It is important not to quote gross numbers about consultants. This is about the people who have been appointed who are not on specialist training schemes. That the Minister of State has not addressed my specific question shows this has happened. It is important that it be addressed.

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