Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Darragh O'Brien and many other Senators expressed their deepest sympathy to the Ryan and O'Connor families following the dreadful tragedy which occurred in Baltimore yesterday. As Senator O'Donovan, a resident of the area, stated, this was a freak accident caused by a freak wave and no one could legislate for it. Our hearts go out to all the families concerned and we all pray that God will console them in their grief in the days ahead.

Senator O'Brien and a number of other Senators referred to people who require pancreatic transplants and others who had experienced problems following pancreatic transplants. Senator Cáit Keane pointed out that a consultant post has been advertised on several occasions in the past year and a suitable candidate has not been found to fill it. The health service is not attracting a sufficient number of consultants. Senator Colm Burke stated that information he received recently indicated there are 300 consultant posts vacant, with some positions currently covered by locums. The Minister will have to address the serious problem of the continued failure to attract consultants to the health service. It is not possible to pluck surgeons out of the air.