Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and I appreciate the response. I know it came from the Department and not specifically from herself. However, I am very disappointed with the response and I shall quickly tell her why. I know she will raise the following matter and, in fairness, she has done so before. The HSE and the Department have broken every timeframe up to now.On 9 June I was told the first meeting would take place within four weeks - that is in writing from the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar - and it was scheduled to conclude its business by 30 September 2015. Would the HSE and the Department allow this to happen if these were highly-paid hospital consultants? Is it that these are the lowest paid workers within our health service that they are not being given the priority? I know the Minister of State would have a great deal of sympathy and support for these workers. All that is happening - I mean no disrespect to the Minister of State as this is the response she has been given by the Department - is that we are being strung along big time. Every single response, going back to early 2013, referred to timeframes, to an understanding of what I was saying and so on. The Minister, Deputy Varadkar, was explicit in the timeframes he gave to me on 9 June and this now kicks it into next year. God knows where any of us will be at that stage. I was trying to get it concluded before the end of this Dáil and Seanad term. I ask the Minister of State to use her good offices to tell the Department officials and the HSE that this is not acceptable. This is a small number of people who have been earning €8, €9, €10 and €12 per hour, some of whom are due €5,000, €6,000, €7,000 or €8,000 back. It is a significant amount of money due to them. They have been incredibly patient up to now.

I am really disappointed with this response. I intend to take it up again and will write to the Minister, Deputy Leo Varadkar, asking why he is permitting the Department to continually miss deadlines and set new deadlines which I know will be missed. I am seeking the Minister of State's assistance to tell them this is not on, because it affects low-paid workers all across the country. They only asking for what they are entitled to. I realise there have been budgetary constraints. We realised that in 2013 when I first raised the issue. We have been incredibly patient but I will not be patient anymore. I seek the Minister of State's direct intervention and assistance to put a fire under a couple of people within the Department and get them to sort it out. It is not a whole hill of beans; this can be very quickly.