Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

The third question was whether the Minister accepts that if this is to be resolved, it will have to be resolved outside of the framework of Building Momentum.

The strike was not just about pay equality, although that was the dominant issue, but also about a lack of people coming into the profession and a lack of clear career progression. There are very few roles beyond that of medical scientist. Workers have to go into management if they want to progress, which means they will not get to work as a front-line scientist in the way many people want to. Deputy Barry made a point yesterday about the role of clinical medical scientists in the UK National Health Service, NHS, which seems to provide a natural career progression. Would the Minister be open to that?

There are a few stories I did not get to raise yesterday during the debate on the motion. People have told me about their co-worker in Tallaght who lives in Belfast and drives to Dublin every day to work - just incredible. As a result of low pay and the cost-of-living crisis we are experiencing, those are the kinds of conditions in which, unfortunately, some of these people are working and living.

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