Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I was a member of the emergency task force. It is not an industrial relations forum and the HSE was always very clear with us about that so participation or otherwise does not indicate agreement by any trade union or representative group with regard to what is planned.

The Minister is talking about enhanced actions and clinics among other measures. It should be said that we do not just have a crisis in the winter: thanks to this Government we now have an all-year crisis, but let us just deal with the winter crisis for the moment.

I asked specifically whether there had been negotiations because what the Minister is citing here is significant changes in work practices, people moving out to winter ready clinics and enhanced actions. I asked the HSE some very pointed questions about this and it was not able to point to any level of engagement. It is not sufficient to say there will be a briefing two weeks after the plan has been published. I am asking about the status of negotiations. Can the Minister say now that the representative groups for all the people who will be involved in the plan are fully signed up to it and that he has the staff to deliver it?

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