Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I am focused on the responsibility and role of the Taoiseach's Department in overseeing the implementation of social partnership. The NIB met for three weeks but not much progress was made there. If the Labour Court states that benchmarking is the way forward, what is the Department's role in making the criteria sufficiently flexible, given that the Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association have not signed on to social partnership? If they understand that the issues they raise regarding efficiency and change of work practices should be dealt with in the benchmarking process, does the Department have a role in making the criteria more flexible given that the NIB was unable to make progress?

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