James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to be absolutely clear about this. I have met with Commissioner Andor on a number of occasions. I have given him a commitment that we will be within the working time directive in the next 24 months, that we have a time schedule laid out and timelines that must be met about different areas. That is why the hospital groups aspect is so important because it will allow for reduced hours for non-consultant hospital doctors.

Equally, the Labour Relations Commission arrangements we entered into with consultants before Christmas are very important. Many people thought the any five days out of seven issue was a big thing, and it is, but what is more important is that we now have clinical directors who are appointed rather than elected and who have authority and responsibility. They can dictate who is and is not on duty and the number of NCHDs that should be on. It is now no longer down to the individual consultant insisting that his or her team has to be on duty at all times when that is not clinically indicated.