Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

If staff work an additional 12-hour shift outside their rostered hours, they are paid at a rate of time and a quarter instead of double time. These are agreements. It challenges what the HSE is saying. The allowance for working on a Sunday has been cut by more than €40. We are being given very practical examples. I am only using these to demonstrate that what one side tells us about the system working well is being challenged by the other side. We are told that SIPTU is involved and that it cannot get the issue resolved. My question for the Committee of Public Accounts is whether this system is fit for purpose. Is there an input problem? I do not think we can take the HSE's word that there is no problem now and that it was just a case of teething problems. There appear to be ongoing problems in this regard. The last thing we want is some sort of industrial relations issue because problems are being caused by a system that exists to improve things.