Ms Phil Ní Sheaghdha:

On what we can do differently, we can ensure that healthcare workers have the same status as every other worker in the Republic. Such a status would mean that if they go to work and become ill because of the job they do, they have the right to have that examined by the statutory agency holding responsibility for any other workplace accident, namely, the Health and Safety Authority, HSA. We urge this committee to ensure that the regulation preventing the HSA from doing just that is altered and the Minister with responsibility puts before the House the regulation changes. It is very simple. It is a statutory instrument and it needs to be done immediately because there is no way an employer in the public or private sector should be the only authority that determines whether it has acted in a correct manner when it comes to its workers' welfare. We do not believe that should be the case. It is not fair to healthcare workers. We appreciate, as we have said publicly previously, the applause and the well-intentioned thanks healthcare workers have received but right now, facing into doing this again, our members are saying they are exhausted and cannot endure this again with the protections that were in place. That needs to be examined by the Health and Safety Authority to ensure that correct protections are put in place.