Colm Burke (Fine Gael)

This morning the Irish Examiner published the overtime figures for registrars alone which amounted to €100 million in the past 12 months. This is a huge amount of money and raises questions about organisation in the health service. It is an appropriate issue to discuss, together with others surrounding the health budget. Over €13 billion is being paid out this year and it is the next biggest allocation after the social welfare budget. There should be a debate on the development of the health care sector because it covers a large number of aspects, from nursing homes and hospitals to acute care services. The sum of €100 million in overtime payments is huge. Senator Sean D. Barrett referred to the overspend by Departments. This is one overspend that should be tackled in a more co-ordinated and planned way to ensure it does not happen again.