Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will respond on a point of agreement. We need to be much better at workforce planning in the public sector. Very shortly, the Minister for Health and I will jointly bring forward proposals with regard to workforce planning for the number of medical graduates we need. I take the point Deputy Conway-Walsh initiated with regard to teacher training and recognise Deputy Ó Ríordáin's expertise in this area. I wrote to all Departments quite some time ago, and will do so again, about the importance of line Departments and their agencies outlining their needs in respect of training places, whether for teachers, doctors, nurses, speech and language therapists or occupational therapists, to my Department and our sector. I will be critical of myself here and acknowledge that there is work that needs to be done which my Department can usefully do. However, it does require the line Departments to identify the number of teachers, speech and language therapists or occupational therapists that need to be trained. We will not be found wanting. I do not believe the publicly funded higher education sector will be found wanting in terms of meeting that demand either. I do not believe there is any need for a move towards the private sector to meet those demands if we can get the workforce planning right.

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