Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I agree that nurses are the backbone of the health system. They represent 35% of those who work in the system and are there 24-hours per day, seven days per week. They spend considerably longer periods with hospital patients than any other group of workers and do a fantastic job. In recent years, we have elevated nursing to a graduate level profession, with eight applicants for every place, and have greatly increased the number of nurses. I am a strong fan of enhancing the role of nurses and that is why I recently provided for nurse prescribing.

With regard to the private hospital initiative, all the nurses who care for patients in private beds in public hospitals are on the public payroll, so we will not have to employ additional nurses or incur further payroll costs. To the best of my knowledge, the nurses who work in the private health system have the same pay and conditions and belong to the same trade unions as public nurses. I am not aware of any issues in that regard. It is not for me to decide whether a facility is unionised but I do not think anyone is suggesting that freedom of association should be curtailed.

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