Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, to the House. I wish the Health and Social Care Professionals Bill, which is supported on all sides of the House, every success. The Fine Gael spokesperson in the Seanad spoke in favour of it yesterday.

I wish to discuss an issue which needs to be addressed. Many resources are used to ensure that our doctors are trained to a high international standard after seven or eight years of preparation. A significant proportion of those who qualify as doctors leave the country immediately afterwards to study elsewhere or to travel around the world. I accept that the role of the State does not involve telling people what they can and cannot do, but we have to cop ourselves on in this regard. Substantial public resources are expended on training doctors, nurses and care professionals who are needed as never before, especially as the population of this country has increased by 500,000 in the past ten years. We should include certain obligations in the contracts of people who have benefited from public resources. The Government's hands are tied when a person on whom resources have been spent leaves the country at the end of his or her period of training, for example, to engage in international travel. We should consider whether that is acceptable in light of the current level of demand on our health service. We have to find a solution to this problem.

I would like to raise a consumer issue which is not directly related to the Bill. GPs in the Dublin area impose charges which can vary from €35 to €50 per visit. As a consumer with two small children, I regularly use the GP service. One third of people in this country get everything for nothing through the free medical care system, while the other two thirds have to pay for everything. There is nothing in between.