Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the failure to appoint hospital consultants, when the rules applying to consultant contracts were changed in 2012 I stated the new structure would not work. I have been proved correct as a number of vacancies for hospital consultants remain unfilled, including a consultant post in paediatric urology in Dublin, specifically to deal with children with spina bifida. This post has been vacant for more than 18 months and is unlikely to be filled in the immediate future because of the structure of the contracts being offered. Will the Leader ask the Minister for Health to come to the House to debate this issue? It is time to change the offers being made to consultants. We must realise that we are competing in a world market for medical consultants. I understand that two thirds of the consultant posts advertised in the past 12 months have not been filled. If we change the structure immediately, it will still take 12 months to fill all current vacancies. In addition, a number of consultants are set to retire in the coming months. This matter should be given priority and addressed immediately. I ask the Leader to raise the matter with the Minister.