Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies Mary Butler and Peter Fitzpatrick for their questions on this matter. My colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, has already dealt with the issue from an industrial relations point of view. I hope progress can be made on that today. From a contingency planning point of view, which I think is at the core of the Deputies' questions, the HSE and SIPTU at a local level are putting contingency plans in place.

This varies from hospital to hospital and site to site, depending on the local arrangements and staffing arrangements of those hospitals. The HSE has indicated that if the industrial action goes ahead, which I hope it does not since I believe it can be averted, it will result in some elective procedures being cancelled, mainly in the area of scopes. The priority today while contingency planning is going on at a local level is that everybody is working very hard to see if these matters can be averted.

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