Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Ní Sheaghdha. I note the point she made about staffing levels. Covid has exposed significant failures right across the public services but nowhere more than in the health service. Ms Ní Sheaghdha made a point about being significantly understaffed as a result of large numbers of staff being out sick and the need to ensure there is a funded workforce plan. We very much take that on board as a committee.

In the couple of minutes remaining, I have questions for SIPTU and Fórsa.

There is an absence of protections for so many of our workers and a large number of healthcare support staff are in precarious, low pay jobs. This is a factor in healthcare assistants, for example, continuing to go to work when they had the virus because of the lack of statutory entitlement to sick pay. What percentage of staff in the areas SIPTU and Fórsa represent do they believe are in that category of precarious workers who do not have the statutory entitlements that many of the rest of us take for granted? Perhaps SIPTU can answer first.