Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 15 Dec 1999

Vol. 512 No. 7

Written Answers. - Consultant Appointments.

Paul Connaughton

Ceist:

45 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of new consultant posts he will sanction for 2000 and 2001; the areas of speciality concerned; and the changes, if any, he envisages being made to the consultancy contract. [27140/99]

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin

Ceist:

47 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Health and Children the alternative, if any, he proposes to the introduction of a category three consultant post in view of the massive rejection by consultants of this proposal in favour of an additional 1,000 category one and two positions and a more flexible routine hospital working day; the way in which he will fill the critical gaps in accident and emergency consultant care where no consultants are present in numerous hospitals and no consultant pathologist is available in many others; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27084/99]

Alan Shatter

Ceist:

143 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of new consultant posts he will sanction for 2000 and 2001; the areas of speciality concerned; and the changes, if any, he envisages being made to the consultancy contract. [27183/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 45, 47 and 143 together.

The question of the future staffing of hospitals has been under consideration by the forum on medical manpower. The forum is about to com plete the first phase of its deliberations and I expect to receive an interim report from the forum by the end of January. I anticipate that the parties to the forum will be able to agree on a series of principles which will shape the future of our hospital services. The second phase of the forum's work will concentrate on how these principles are to be put into practice. It would not be appropriate at this stage to speculate on the detail of these developments.

The parties represented on the forum are agreed on the need to change the way our hospitals are organised and staffed so as to provide patients with access to suitably qualified and experienced medical personnel as required. The parties are also aware of the need to correct the present imbalance between fully-trained doctors and trainees. They also appreciate the need to provide more acceptable working hours for doctors. Against that background there is an identifiable need for more consultants to be appointed. However there is also a clear need to have consultants available on a more flexible basis to cover periods of duty presently covered by NCHDs. All parties recognise that this will require changes in certain aspects of existing contracts.

All of these changes will require to be negotiated between the interested parties. I have been impressed by the atmosphere of partnership in which the forum has conducted its business. It would not be helpful at this stage to anticipate what might be the outcome of what will be a complex process.