Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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273. To ask the Minister for Health the action being taken to deal with the lack of non-consultant doctors and locums; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31798/14]

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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274. To ask the Minister for Health the action being taken to improve conditions and pay for junior doctors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31799/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 273 and 274 together.

It is recognised that the working conditions and career pathways of trainee doctors need to be improved and that the public health system value the contribution and commitment they make. The Haddington Road Agreement specifically identified the objective of retaining graduates of Irish medical schools and attracting such graduates back to Ireland.

Subsequently, in July 2013, a Working Group chaired by Professor Brian MacCraith, President of DCU, was established to carry out a strategic review of medical training and career structures. The Group finished its work at the end of June 2014 having submitted three reports.

The first report submitted in December 2013, focused on improving the training experience for trainees and the implementation of its recommendations should result in tangible improvements for trainee doctors in their day-to-day working lives. The second report, submitted in April 2014, reviewed career structures and pathways following completion of specialist training. A key recommendation is that health service management and medical organisations should commence, as a matter of urgency, an industrial relations engagement of short duration to address the barrier caused by the variation in pay rates between new entrant Consultants and their established peers that have emerged since 2012. This issue has been identified as being important in the recruitment of consultants and in retaining doctors in training. Discussions involving the HSE, my Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the IMO negotiations have commenced under the aegis of the Labour Relations Commission. The third report, submitted on 30th June, addresses issues relating to strategic medical workforce planning, and career planning and mentoring supports for trainee doctors.

The Working Group has offered solutions and recommendations that will enable us to build a sustainable medical workforce for the future. Processes are already in place in relation to implementing the recommendations of the December 2013 and April 2014 reports. My Department and the HSE will now work together to put the necessary arrangements in place in order to drive and oversee implementation of all the recommendations of the Strategic Review and assess their impact into the future.

Separately, as part of the implementation of the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013-16, the Department of Health, HSE and Irish Medical Organisation are collaborating on a series of initiatives to support graduate retention, including progression of EWTD compliance, agreement on the protection of training time and the implementation of time and attendance systems for NCHDs. Arrangements have recently been finalised allowing NCHD's to avail of career breaks to travel abroad for Specialist Training and to take up employment in the private sector as part of their training.