Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I fully agree with the Deputy. We are seeing a theme, and I say this in a constructive sense, in the parliamentary questions today, which is the delivery of public services. A number of Government strategies and the like commit to making improvements in very important areas, but will require us to produce more people to work and be trained in those areas.

I will say two things, honestly. First, there will obviously be a lead-in time for training. For example, for someone working in psychiatry we are talking about a study period of seven years. Second, from my Department's point of view, we are ready, willing and standing by ready to help. For any Department or State agency that wants to train more or says to us that it needs more graduates in certain areas, we are engaging very closely with the Department of Health's workforce planning unit. I will certainly feed back the Deputy's comments and the statistics she put on the record of the House into that process. I will be very happy to keep in touch with her on the matter.

See this speech in context