Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This issue was touched on earlier but I want to put on record my support for the concerns expressed by medical scientists, a number of whom have contacted me.

They say that the action has been taken following a ballot last November in which 98% voted in favour of taking action, that up to 20% of approved medical scientist posts are unfilled in public hospitals, that medical scientists carry out identical work to other scientific colleagues who work in hospital laboratories yet are paid on average 8% less, that medical scientists have fewer career development opportunities and less support for training and education than comparable colleagues and that the role of laboratory diagnostics in healthcare is expanding significantly at this time, with ever-increasing responsibilities and workloads. With regard to addressing their concerns and preventing future industrial action, what can Mr. Woods say about engaging on this issue?