Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I think so. People are entitled to remain on the contract they were on. That is part of their entitlement. It does not stop them working where they want to work. Just 38% of the consultants in UHL, for example, are on the POCC. It is the best hospital in Ireland for the way in which the other consultants have come on board with weekend working. The two contract holders are working nearly seamlessly under the fantastic direction of the regional clinical director, Dr. Catherine Peters. She has managed to get both contract holders to work seamlessly together. It is a hospital where we have 17 to 20 consultants rostered on every weekend in a way which represents a leadership situation. In other hospitals, like Beaumont Hospital and the Mater, the level of uptake of the POCC is well in excess of 80%. The Mater is doing better. UHL is a leader, even with the lowest level of POCC uptake, entirely because of the commitment and organisation of the regional clinical director; fair play to her.