Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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121. To ask the Minister for Health further to previous parliamentary questions, his views on unequal pay for health care assistants (details supplied). [15082/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is aware that the Haddington Road Agreement made provision for the introduction of an Intern Scheme for Health Support Staff. Under the Scheme 1,000 Intern places were provided for Health Care Assistants (HCA), Multi Task Attendants (MTA) and Support Grades. The grade of MTA is a generic grade that covers staff working as porters, in catering or as HCAs. Therefore a new grade of Intern MTA was introduced under the Public Service Agreements (PSA). These were 2 year contracts with a starting salary of 85% of the normal starting salary in Year 1 and 90% in Year 2. This Intern grade was considered to be outside of the normal employment level restrictions. When discussion took place once again on this grade under the Lansdowne Road Agreement, it was agreed to provide that where Interns had completed 18 months of satisfactory service, they would be regularised into permanent positions.

Separately and outside of the PSA process, the National Recruitment Service for the HSE in Manorhamilton resumed the process of filling a number of vacancies on a permanent basis from panels that had been in place for some time. It is possible that given the timeframes involved in the Intern scheme that there could be interns who have not yet completed their 18 months satisfactory service working alongside new recruits to these support grades recently employed by the HSE. I am advised that this situation is unusual and the issues involved are being examined by the HSE.