Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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87. To ask the Minister for Health his views on industrial action by nurses and the pay and conditions faced by nurses in public hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12060/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased that the INMO and SIPTU reached an understanding on nursing recruitment and retention issues by engaging with management through the State's industrial relations mechanisms and welcome the deferral of the threatened industrial action by the INMO that was scheduled to commence on the 7th March. I am pleased that the INMO will be recommending that their membership accept the proposals developed with the assistance of the Workplace Relations Commission and respect the process the INMO is now undertaking to ballot its members. If the membership accepts the management proposal it allows them to remain within the Lansdowne Road Agreement and benefit from it.

The initial conclusions of the Public Service Pay Commission, expected in Quarter 2 2017, will form the basis for discussions between parties to the Lansdowne Road Agreement on a successor to that Agreement. Arrangements are already in place to commence partial restoration of public service pay in 2017, reflecting the Government's recognition of the need to address pay and, at the same time, manage the public finances in a prudent manner.  The first stage of the pay restoration will take effect from 1st April.

During recent engagement between this Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the HSE, INMO and SIPTU to avert the proposed industrial action by the INMO scheduled for the 7th March, the management side supplied a joint proposal document setting out a number of specific measures to attract and retain nursing staff. The proposal includes extensive education and personal development opportunities for nurses and midwives to upskill, and a pilot pre-retirement initiative as a method of retaining the expertise of experienced nursing/midwifery staff. It also includes 127 promotional posts for staff nurses/midwives to Clinical Nurse/Midwife Manager 1. The management side is also positively disposed to a proposal from the union side for the restoration of a number of allowances for new entrant nurses and this consideration will be concluded in the upcoming pay talks in the summer.

I wish to reiterate my commitment to working with the staff unions to further improve and invest in the Irish health service and those who work within it in a fair and equitable manner.