Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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430. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the number of Irish doctors taking up permanent positions abroad following qualification; the reason for this; the steps he will take to deal with the problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41815/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate that there are many reasons why doctors – both from Ireland and from other countries – emigrate. There is always a mixture of ‘push and pull’ factors at play when one decides to leave one’s country. A number of our consultants and Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors go abroad as part of their training, and some following completion of their training, to gain experience and expertise prior to taking up posts in Ireland. A further group goes abroad for a variety of other reasons, such as working conditions, life style, and pay.

With regard to employment levels, the figures at the end of July 2017 show that there are more consultants employed in the public health services than at the same time last year. At the end of July 2017 there were 2,892 whole time equivalent consultants. This is 105 more than the end July 2016 figure and an increase of over 700 in the past decade. Alongside this, the number of Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors has increased year on year. At the end of July 2017, there were almost 6,000 whole time equivalent NCHDs. This is an increase of 178 compared with the July 2016 number and an increase of over 1,100 in the past decade.

In July 2013 a Working Group, chaired by Prof. Brian MacCraith, President, Dublin City University, was established to carry out a strategic review of medical training and career structures. The Working Group completed its work at the end of June 2014 and, in all, submitted three reports and made 25 recommendations. The reports address a range of barriers and issues relating to the recruitment and retention of doctors in the Irish public health system.

A number of the Group's recommendations have been addressed including revised pay rates for new entrant consultants, though implementation of others is ongoing. Other positive developments include:- the launch of a careers and training website, which gives information about each specialty, including details of training pathways and training durations; a doubling of the number of family-friendly training places over a three-year period; the roll-out of an online National Employment Record that has streamlined processes and eliminated the paperwork burden associated with NCHD rotations; and the appointment of 45 Lead NCHDs to improve communication with management across acute and non-acute settings. All of these initiatives are making a positive contribution to the recruitment and retention of Irish-trained doctors in the Irish health system.