Seán Kenny (Dublin North East, Labour)
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383. To ask the Minister for Health his views regarding qualified medical doctors leaving the country following qualification; the incentives in place to encourage doctors to remain here on completion of their training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43949/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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It is important that newly qualified doctors can be retained and measures are in train to support NCHD and consultant recruitment and retention. A Working Group was established and chaired by Professor Brian MacCraith of DCU, to carry out a strategic review of medical training and career structures last year. Under its terms of reference the Group made recommendations earlier this year aimed at improving the retention of medical graduates in the public health system and planning for future service needs. In April 2014 the Group submitted a report dealing with medical career structures and pathways following completion of specialist training. The Group submitted its final report in June and this dealt with workforce planning. My Department, in conjunction with relevant stakeholders, is pursuing implementation of the recommendations made by the Group to support retention of doctors following qualification.

One of the key recommendations was that the relevant parties commence a timetabled IR engagement of short duration to address the barrier caused by the variation in rates of remuneration that have emerged since 2012 between new entrant consultants and their established peers. My Department in conjunction with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is giving consideration to the result of the IMO ballot rejecting recent LRC pay proposals.

Seán Kenny (Dublin North East, Labour)
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384. To ask the Minister for Health his views regarding qualified nurses leaving the country following qualification; the incentives in place to encourage nurses to remain here on completion of their training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43950/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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On average each year, undergraduate nurse programmes in Ireland produce circa 1,500 graduate nurses. Nurses intending to practice outside the jurisdiction of Ireland must seek registration verification from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. In the period 2011 to 2013, the following numbers of new graduate Nurses have requested verification in each respective year; 216, 234 and 264. The number of verification requests for the September 2014 Nursing graduates to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland currently stands at 105.

There are a number of strategies in place to encourage the retention of nurses that include:

- the Nurse and Midwife Graduate Education Programme which offers a structured two-year programme of further education and development to new graduate Nurses, with the further option more recently of a 2 year contract of employment on full salary for those nurses and midwives currently participating in the programme. Additionally there are other contractual options available to nursing and midwifery graduates through the normal recruitment processes;

- financial support for education programmes including clinical Higher Diplomas and Masters, by the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director;

- support for leadership and management development by the Nursing and Midwifery Planning Development Units and the Leadership and Innovation Centre;

- educational opportunities to support continuous professional development at local level provided by the Centres for Nursing and Midwifery Education;

- regularisation of nursing and midwifery acting positions is currently underway to stabilise and retain nursing and midwifery leadership in accordance with the Haddington Road Agreement; and finally

- the HSE is currently undertaking a national HSE Employee Survey, to determine employee's attitudes to their employers, work practices, culture and communications across the health services. The survey results will be used to improve the working lives of staff, leading to better care for patients.