Ms Phil Ní Sheaghdha:

In its recommendations, the committee inquiring into Covid-19 matters, including its effect in nursing homes, made specific recommendations around collective bargaining rights and standards setting for wages and conditions for those who work outside of public service healthcare.

For example, we have nothing other than recommendations in respect of practice nurses working for GPs, as well as nurses working in private nursing homes, with an aspiration to public service rates of pay. They are contracted to work at rates between them and their employer. We are seeking collective bargaining rights for that group of workers across the private sector. If there is a rate of pay in a country, it should reflect the duties, and there should be equal pay for equal work.

In private nursing homes in particular we have a larger reliance on overseas nurses and there are difficulties in respect of where they live. In many, although not all, cases there are examples of cost of accommodation being deducted from a salary. Staffing levels are lower and it is more difficult to supervise work. In many cases the ratio of nurse to patient is extraordinarily high and therefore dangerous. These are very real issues.

The comment I made was in respect of an appeal not to "poach" private nursing home staff, although I may be misquoting. My simple point is that if the conditions exist where workers are happy in an environment, they will stay there. There would be no need to appeal to the State to block them from going for interviews in State-run facilities. If the conditions are right, people will stay where they are for work. Many of these people migrate not just to the public sector but to private acute hospitals, where the conditions of employment in the main are better.