Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for not being able to be here for the initial presentations. I have questions for both representative groups but forgive me if they have been already answered. I can look at the record for the answers in that case. Do the representative association members have any objection to their time being monitored? I worked in a union when a process of clocking in and out was introduced. I was delighted this happened, although I was a little upset that nobody looked at the hours I was working and gave me some time off as a result. Are there any examples of where this monitoring might be in place. I am aware that the non-consultant hospital doctors are monitored with respect to the European working time directive.

The other issue is resourcing, which is linked with monitoring. If time is monitored and a person is available for work, an employer may not be able to provide the means to carry out the work. A builder may turn up for work but the employer may not provide the bricks. He or she would be available for work and be entitled to pay. That builder would be able to do the job but would not have been given the resources for it. It is my understanding, from speaking to consultants, that very often there is an issue with resources. The consultant may be able to perform a procedure but a recovery bed is not be available. I suspect such cases account for quite a considerable amount of work not getting done. Is there a way we might be able to monitor that? I am aware the HSE does not routinely collect data on theatre use. I know it is not all about operations but it is a big chunk of the problem. Is there a mechanism for recording that the organisations would be happy to use? Could it be built into a process that a certain consultant turned up on Monday morning, for example, and was available for work but the employer could not provide him or her with the means to carry out the work?