Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with everything the Deputy said other than her point about a sense of urgency. If I am not conveying a sense of urgency here, I can assure her that the groups involved, including the Department, are very aware that there is a sense of urgency. We are moving on this as a priority and we are doing two things at the same time. We are looking at the NCHD contract, at the six to ten years that they are with us but separately to that, we are moving on the contract. Obviously they are linked but they are separate pieces of work.

It is my absolute and very clear intention, and all of the stakeholders involved know this, that we will have a new consultant contract in place this year. That contract will be public-only in public hospitals. That is a cornerstone of everything we are doing. I fully agree with Deputy Shortall that it must be attractive to our existing consultant cohort, to those abroad who we want to come home and to the NCHDs coming through so that Ireland is seen as one of the best places in the English-speaking world for doctors to work.

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