Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Many good people from the health care sector have left the country and it is important that we do everything possible to bring them back. A total of 38% of the doctors working in this country are non-Irish graduates. Many are abroad and we need to encourage them back. Between now and 2025 there will be a shortfall of 95,000 medical practitioners in the United States. That is the challenge we face. We are competing in a world market.

It is important to use this health care budget wisely and make sure we get the maximum number of frontline staff available to provide the services. Many people seem to have forgotten where we have come from. We were borrowing money at 14%. The last Government bond sold was at 0.33% interest. Unemployment has come down from 15% to 7.9%. It is important to make sure we do not go wild because extra money is coming in through taxation. A total of 160,000 more people are working now than four years ago. With over 2 million working, more taxation is coming in but it is important to spend that money wisely and carefully and that we put in the necessary support services into our health care sector.