Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I am not referring to training and study time, but to allowances for meals and so on, amounting to €25 million for meals, €11 million to live out and €17 million for training. There must be training, but these allowances are not paid to others in the modern era and are not appropriate.

Last year, the bill for overtime amounted to more than €200 million. Among the issues that arise is that, while junior doctors support the idea of implementing the working time directive, they want to be paid the same salary, including overtime, despite working a shorter week. In the current circumstances, no one would regard that as reasonable. The reconfiguration of hospital services and the consultants' extended hours will alleviate significantly pressures on non-consultant hospital doctors.

Some hospitals have shown considerable innovation. For example, hospitals' overtime bills vary considerably across the country. Some have large bills in respect of junior doctors while others, despite treating the same number of patients, have substantially smaller overtime bills. Were hospitals to follow best practice, the bill would be reduced. We have no alternative but to take this measure this year, given the considerable pressures on the HSE's budget stemming from the rising level of unemployment.

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