Junior doctors and broadband in planning
Senator Burke raised concerns about junior doctors, including withdrawn education grants and the need for a clearer career path, but was cut short. He was allowed one brief further point and used it to argue that broadband access should become a planning requirement for new developments.
In the past four or five years, I have raised many issues related to junior doctors about which an issue has arisen in recent days. One of the concerns I raised previously was the withdrawal of education grants. A large number of junior doctors are on training programmes. It is important that they have available to them a clear career path in order that they can see where they will be in five, six, eight or ten years.
Junior doctors are constantly attending courses and conferences to acquire new skills but many of the grants available to them previously have been withdrawn. I understand this issue forms part of the ongoing negotiations between the Department and the Irish Medical Organisation, which unfortunately are not making progress. The Minister should come to the House to set out his proposals for dealing with the issue of junior doctors over the next 12 months. Some 38% of doctors working here did not graduate in Ireland. We are losing a large number of good doctors to other jurisdictions and they will not return.
We need to set out a clear path on how to deal with this issue. I ask that the Minister come into the House to set out how he proposes to deal with the exodus of so many graduates from the State, especially when one considers the €90 million per annum the State spends on medical education. Within a very short period of time some 50% to 60% of the money invested by us has disappeared out of the State. It is something we need to deal with. I wish to mention one other issue-----
Comment on this
If I allow Senator Burke in when I am trying to stick to two minutes the Senator must be very brief.
Comment on this
With regard to the broadband issue, we are losing sight of an important point. The State has set out clear guidelines on planning applications for development; there must be access to roads, water and sewage services. We have not made it a planning condition that there must be access to broadband services and it is now a key ingredient in any housing development. It should now be part of the planning process.