Derek McDowell (Labour)

When I broached the issue of nurses earlier in the debate, the Acting Chairman felt I was out of order. It could be usefully explored in this context. It is common practice, particularly outside Dublin, for nurses who no longer work full time to be on a panel, which makes them available for work whenever a hospital or health institution requires them. I am not clear whether these people are deemed to have resigned and foregone all rights or whether they would be covered by the Bill and treated in the same way as workers in the Passport Office. These nurses seem to be in regular work for the State as health workers and presumably are recipients of benefits from the State when they are working.