Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 293: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the progress in the negotiation of a revised contract for hospital consultants to ensure greater equity for public patients as promised in action 89 of Quality and Fairness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1635/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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A series of meetings has taken place between management and the medical organisations to resolve outstanding issues from the current consultants' common contract. These negotiations resulted in the introduction of a revised grievance and dispute procedure for consultants. Preliminary talks have been held between management and the medical organisations to discuss forthcoming negotiations on the new contract. Unfortunately, the opposition of these organisations to the extension of the clinical indemnity scheme to cover claims against consultants has led to a decision by the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, IHCA, not to participate in further negotiations. This has resulted in the commencement of talks on a new contract being postponed.

I am anxious to break the deadlock which has arisen and I have continually indicated to the consultants that I am available to sit down with them to discuss a new contract in tandem with those issues that are of particular concern to them with regard to the clinical indemnity scheme. In this respect, I met again the IHCA before Christmas when we discussed the negotiations on the new contract for consultants and the resolution of the medical indemnity issues. I regret that the IHCA indicated it wished to resolve the indemnity issue before it will agree to negotiate a new contract. I am available to meet again with the IHCA on this matter and it is my wish to move beyond the current impasse at the earliest opportunity.

I emphasise that the root cause is the withdrawal of cover for historic liabilities of consultants by the Medical Defence Union. I have also met the Medical Defence Union to bring forward a sustainable resolution to this issue. I have also ensured that, in the meantime, consultants who have been unreasonably left without cover will receive State assistance for a legal defence for any case that arises against them.

In this regard, I regret that both medical organisations are currently considering whether to take industrial action to seek a resolution to these issues. I encourage the IHCA and the IMO not to take this action and to continue with the discussion process with a view to reaching a mutually agreeable solution.