David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That is a failure of the political system. Doctors cannot be blamed for that. We are asking them to work long hours in contravention of their rights. There is a question of moral injury and pressure being put on doctors to come in to work additional hours because we do not have capacity and, now, because of the recruitment embargo. I will come to that in a minute. It is self-evident that, if some doctors are working 60, 70 or 80 hours a week, which seems to be the norm, while the vast majority are working more than 48 hours a week, patient safety will be compromised. We cannot pinpoint every individual incident but we know there have been many incidents in hospitals where mistakes have been made. There are then inquests, reports, reviews and all of that. We can generally say that, if doctors are working the hours they are now working, it will increase the risk to patient safety. It is not just an issue for the doctors themselves as regards the pressure it puts on them, but it is also a real risk for patients.

We should say that from the outset. Obviously, it needs to be resolved.

Could I ask a follow-on question, on the issue of working ten consecutive days without a rest, because it is not just about the hours? The legislation and good practice indicate no doctor should work for more than ten consecutive days. Are they doing so?