Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)

I fully support what the Tánaiste is doing regarding public-only contracts, but the European working time directive must be teased out. We must fill people in. Neither the Tánaiste nor I can wait either the ten or the 25 years mentioned to get working health services. Do we need a new consultants' contract that includes the present consultants? Do we need a new work regime for junior doctors to be brought in more urgently? As the Tánaiste pointed out on "The Late Late Show", if the present batch of consultants does not join in a new contract, we will be stuck with the current system for 25 years. Will we find ourselves trying to piggyback two systems, the public-only consultants and the existing ones, along with work practices regarding junior doctors?

That essentially makes it quite clear that the European working time directive will be at least a decade behind before we gain any control over this. The public service cannot wait for that. It has nothing to do with the Hanly report but with getting a health service to patients in their communities. In some respects, the Tánaiste has made the mistake as witnessed in many statements made in this regard. She is selling the concept of what one does with the consultants as a progressive move. I am very concerned at what will happen with the European working time directive. If the hours are cut for any reason, for example, because someone takes a court case, might we not run into massive problems in the health service? Does the Tánaiste have any contingency plans for that case?

I have asked the Tánaiste before whether we have some mechanism to get consultants on public-only contracts into the system quickly. All that I see happening is that we are in a situation, and I would like to know what contingency plans the Tánaiste has if the European working time directive fails. Will we go back to the EU or do we have an emergency plan? If we do not, patient safety and care and the delivery of health services to them will collapse very quickly.

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