Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

It is a good idea to have this brief session. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, is coming in to us next week. I would hope that by the time he comes in the situation is resolved and that the Government and the HSE have given a meaningful indication that they are willing to move substantially on the question of pay restoration and pay parity. If the Government does not do that, then it will be making a major mistake.

I was on four different picket lines yesterday. The public support is phenomenal, for example, the number of people in cars beeping to express their support and so on. The determination of the nurses and midwives to continue with their just struggle if there are no substantial concessions is striking. They will go ahead with the two days of strike next week and that will cause even more disruption. Obviously the nurses and midwives do not want to do that but they have no choice. It will go ahead next week.

The argument of the Government is that it cannot afford to pay them, etc. That does not get far with the nurses and midwives or the general public. One thing I intend to ask the Minister next week relates to the amount of money paid to the junior bondholders who refused to get burnt before Christmas. The amount is precisely what it would take, according to the Government, to pay the pay claim of the nurses and midwives. The Government is able to find the money for the bondholders but cannot find it for our health service.

There is broad public support because people understand that nurses are on the front line of an underfunded and what is in many respects a disastrous health service. The various health professionals in the health service are the good thing about the health service when people interact with it. People understand the difficult circumstances they are in. People understand that a win for the nurses would be a win for all workers and that it would be a step towards the kind of investment that we need in building a national health service in this country. I hope that we do not have to get answers from the Minister next week, but if we do, then we should be prepared for questioning and so on.