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

They are short-staffed. A point was made about pay, on which there has been a focus. Will Ms Ní Sheaghdha comment briefly on the issue of the work-pay ratio? I represented nurses, whom I never considered to be well paid. I do not think that could be shown on a graph, but perhaps it could.

On comparators, we have heard about what people do in other countries. Ms Ní Sheaghdha made a comparison with engineers who do not build bridges on their first day, which is fair enough. With regard to a nurse, a consultant or a non-consultant hospital doctor at a similar level in another hospital, it is my contention that not only is the pay low but the workload is also high. When we compare, we are not only comparing pay. We also need to compare the type of work done and support provided and what we expect from the people who work in the health service for the money they receive. Will the delegates comment briefly on this?