Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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641. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department will support a settlement with nurses and other health care workers who are due to take industrial action on 7 March 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10625/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to confirm that industrial action by support staff grades scheduled for today (7th March) was averted following an agreement reached between SIPTU and the HSE on 24th February, with the support of my Department.

I can also confirm that the INMO Executive Council decided on Saturday 4th March to ballot all members on expanded proposals which emerged following extensive engagement with officials from the HSE, my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform at the Workplace Relations Commission. The industrial action due to commence today has been deferred by the INMO to facilitate the ballot. I respect the process the INMO is now undertaking and I understand that the result of the ballot will be known by the end of this month.