Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 36: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her response to the claim for improved pay and conditions recently lodged by the Irish Nurses Organisation on behalf of its members; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8538/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association have recently lodged a number of claims for increases in pay and changes to working conditions. The unions concerned have signed up to the current national agreement — Sustaining Progress. A management team led by the Health Service Executive employers agency met the unions on 10 February 2006. They reminded the unions that under section 19.6 of Sustaining Progress cost increasing claims for improvements in pay or conditions are precluded during the lifetime of the agreement.

The parties to Sustaining Progress had agreed that the benchmarking exercise was an important initiative in developing a better system of pay determination in the public service. The parties further agreed that this process is an appropriate way of determining public service pay rates in the future. Following on from this a new Public Service Benchmarking Body, PSBB, was established on 13 January 2006 by the Minister for Finance. This new PSBB is the sole mechanism for the determination of the pay of public servants, including nurses.

I understand that the claims are being referred to the Labour Relations Commission. It remains Government policy that it is not open to the nursing unions or any other public service unions to pursue pay claims otherwise than in accordance with the terms of the prevailing national pay agreement.