Ms Maureen Cronin:

I established an internal group within the HSE 23 months ago. It includes a cross-section of senior hospital people, procurement people, IT people and so on. I chaired that group until I finished working during the summer. We engaged with Fórsa because we knew the FEMPI legislation was going to be unwound. We have sought engagement with the HSE. Sadly, our morale on this issue is very low. I said to somebody earlier that the comedian, Michael McIntyre, once said he did not know his wife had a tether until she was at the end of it. We are at the end of our tether. Despite our best endeavours to avoid any disruption to the business, there has been no progress.

More than 60% of the people involved in this award are Fórsa members. On 30 September, the general secretary of Fórsa, which is the largest health services union, wrote to the HSE stating, as I said earlier, that we would be in precipitative and serious industrial action if this matter is not resolved. There has been no reply to that letter, which is extraordinary. We have now asked the union to take us back to the WRC but it is like Groundhog Day. I do not know what can break through this brick wall, what the brick wall is and why it exists in the governance of public administration and government administration.