Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It was addressed by the commission. What was dismissed was that pay was a factor in people deciding whether to join or remain in the health service. We can argue that point. Public sector pay has been increased and we have seen new rates of pay. What we need now is work on how we can entice people to come back or to stay. The Public Service Pay Commission, of which I was not part, concluded that pay was not the issue. Anecdotally, one hears from members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, and healthcare workers that their workload is too heavy and their hours are too long. Let us have a conversation about how we can make life better for people working in the health service.