Yes but we just need to be careful that it does not slow things down. Those involved locally have a very understandable instinct to ask why, if we are building it, we cannot just add the other thing that we need. In Galway, that meant nothing happened for years. We can of course look at this with an open mind. Colleagues raised the issue of timing. The public spending code was not fit for purpose. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, deserves great credit. I told him we need to fundamentally reform this in healthcare and …

Yesterday, fair enough, well then he should have had a response earlier than that. I have no issue saying that at all. I thank him for getting in touch with me on it. Increasing the medical workforce is a top priority for me and for the Department. As Deputy Smith and I were just talking about, I want to see a doubling of healthcare college places. The 2018 capacity review in regard to GPs, referring to the question, showed that Ireland had broadly similar per capita levels to the countries benchmarked. However, ra…

I do not know about that. I will need to get back to the Senator on it.

The HSE is working in collaboration with the Irish Medical Council, IMC, to identify potential regions for recruitment of doctors around the world who meet the IMC registration standards. Any such recruitment needs to be in line with our ethical guidelines. We are a signatory, as the Deputy will be aware, of the WHO's global code on the recruitment of international health professionals. Through this code, developed countries are encouraged to attain self-sufficiency in the domestic health workforce. Hence, I believ…

We will revert to the Senator.

We are looking to bring in GPs from around the world. We are not excluding Cuba from that. The HSE and the ICGP would welcome the inclusion of doctors from many additional countries, and Cuba is no different. The two bodies have been doing a lot of work with South Africa and various South American countries with a view to bringing over GPs from those locations. There is no issue in doing the same with Cuba. The HSE and the ICGP can link in with the Deputies on this matter.

I acknowledge the hugely important role section 39 organisations and their workers play in our health and social care services. They are absolutely essential in providing services, including to people with disabilities and older people in the community. A process of engagement to examine the pay of workers in community and voluntary organisations was committed to by the Government in October last year, as the Deputy referenced. While the Government is committed to the process, it should be noted that the section 39…

There is a process and there has been agreement, as the Deputy will be aware on the biggest 300, which was very welcome. Initially, it was the first 50, then it was another 250. We need to find a way to deal with this while balancing two things. On the one hand they are private organisations but, on the other, we largely fund them. We cannot divorce ourselves from their ability to pay their staff. When we looked across the organisations, the relative rates of pay and cuts that came in during the FEMPI period were d…

I thank the Deputy. We have all known for some time that the cost was going to go above €1.4 billion, which was the formal cost signed off on by the Government. Intensive negotiations are happening between the contractor and the development board. The sums of money involved are large. I do not have a figure. No one does, as there has been no resolution to many of the issues. The contractor undoubtedly has legitimate claims in some cases, and those claims should be respected. In other cases, the clear advice I have …

There is no agreed-----

-----figure. At the same time, we are not giving an estimated figure because we do not want to prejudice the negotiation. The contractors would like nothing more than the State to say we believe we will have to pay X amount of money, because doing so would prejudice the negotiations. We must leave the board in the strongest possible position to negotiate on behalf of the State.

I thank the Deputy for the question. I have two points to make in response. I have had more than one person from County Donegal say this to me recently, and I have a suspicion, which is nothing to do with the Deputy at all, that a bit of a whispering campaign is going on concerning LUH. I do not know where this is coming from.

Then perhaps the Deputy is involved in the campaign. I want to be-----

I want to be absolutely clear to everybody in County Donegal that this Government is investing in and growing LUH. For some reason, people are putting it about that LUH is being downgraded. I want to be unequivocal in this regard, and the facts back this up. We are investing in and growing LUH and we are investing in hospital services and community services in County Donegal. I have personally opened several primary care centres in the county. Turning to the second point the Deputy raised, for which I thank him, LU…

The initial results are extremely positive in respect of filling those posts, which I think we both agree must be filled.

I thank the Senator for the amendment. Essentially, while I cannot accept the amendment to this Bill, I support the intent of it. As the Senator said, there is not a statutory requirement for continuing professional development for dentists. Many dentists obviously engage in continuing professional development and the Irish Dental Association provides much of that. It is legislated for doctors and other healthcare professionals but not for dentists. It is governed under a 1985 Act, which needs to be updated. It is …

I look favourably on the amendment but I cannot accept it in the context of this Bill. As we have discussed here previously, the current dental treatment services scheme is not fit for purpose. As we develop a broader response to oral healthcare, which we must do on a legislative basis, we certainly will be cognisant of this amendment within what will be a fuller updating of the 1985 Act.

I acknowledge the constructive manner in which the Bill has passed through both the Dáil and Seanad. I thank colleagues for their assistance. I also thank the Chairs in both Houses for facilitating its speedy progress. The legislation is really important as it will allow those graduating as doctors in the UK to come to the HSE for their internships. They will be delighted to be able to do that. I thank the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, officials in CORU and the Medical Council and officials in my Department,…

I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the House on Second Stage of the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Bill 2022. The Bill was initiated in the Dáil in September of last year and passed all Stages on 10 May. The Bill is fundamentally about health practitioners, who are the individuals working tirelessly to deliver the health and social care services upon which our patients rely.

I thank colleagues for their support for the Bill and will address some issues raised. The first was whether CORU can do more and do it quicker. I would say most parts of the health service can do more and do it quicker. We have significantly increased the capacity in CORU for exactly these reasons. In 2018, it had 48 whole-time equivalents; now it has 79. There has been a big increase and we will look to do more as it regulates more professions. The issue of psychologists is important. The background is as follows…