Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 502: To ask the Minister for Health the action he intends taking to address the situation presenting at Cork University Hospital and other hospital sites in the south and south east, at which management are refusing to pay non-consultant hospital doctors for unrostered overtime; if he will ensure that all overdue payments are made immediately and that, in line with his stated view of the proposed withholding of travel and subsistence payments to other Health Service Executive employees, he will insist that the health services always pay what is due and will never again seek to treat NCHDs in this way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39960/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Hospitals must remain within budget so that planned services are delivered safely and efficiently and core activities maintained. Management of acute hospitals in the HSE-South have adopted appropriate measures to ensure that these objectives are met.

As part of ongoing cost-containment measures, steps have been taken to control unrostered overtime. Within the HSE-South, Cork University Hospital, Kerry General Hospital and Wexford General Hospital now give time off in lieu of unrostered hours worked. Waterford Regional Hospital has adopted a policy whereby NCHDs are rostered to work overtime (on-call) as part of their rostered working week. Such rostered overtime is remunerated. Any hours worked outside the rostered hours and not approved in line with rosters agreed with clinical departments are deemed to be unrostered. NCHDs in the hospitals have been advised of the rules in place. The HSE advises that the position at South Tipperary General Hospital is currently the subject of local negotiation.