Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is not like Deputy O'Reilly to be unruly. I tried to look at a document Sinn Féin published in November 2016 under the tile, Framework for New Pay Agreement, but it does not seem to be available on its website today. I suppose the party wants to try to hide the fact it believed these people were paid too much and it wanted to tax them more and reduce their salaries. Let us see what that will do in regard to sending our doctors to Perth.

We have more to do in this regard. I believe pay is an element of this but I also believe work practice change is an element. I believe the Deputy agrees with me on the need to make sure we have more consultants working in the public health service rather than doing private practice. I will go to Government with the de Buitléir report on proposals in that regard in the autumn.

In direct answer to the Deputy’s question on how we reduce the shortage of consultant doctors across the health service, we do it through engaging on the issue of pay and through a pay agreement and contracts, as I outlined at the IMO conference a few weeks ago. However, I also believe we do it through more radical reform, work practice change and the roadmap I expect the de Buitléir report to outline in line with the Sláintecare strategy.

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