Officials of the Health Service Employers Agency and officers of my Department have been in discussions with the Irish Medical Organisation for several months on a wide range of issues affecting the working conditions of non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs).
Considerable progress has been made on many issues, including the resolution of disputes at indi- vidual hospital level. Some of the issues which affect NCHDs' working conditions cannot be resolved immediately. Among these are the twin issues of working hours and the restructuring of the medical career hierarchy. The working hours of NCHDs have been the subject of negotiations at European level in the context of the proposed extension of the 1993 EU Directive on Working Time to doctors in training. Deputies will be aware that different stances on this issue had been taken by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. I am glad to inform the House that agreement was reached on Monday on a formula which provides for a nine year transition period to apply the Directive to junior doctors. Ireland has always stated that it will reduce junior doctors' working hours to an average of 48 per week at least as quickly as required by any European legislation. I am confident that, with the full co-operation of the profession, we can achieve that objective in the nine years allowed.
As part of our preparations for this eventuality we are conducting a major study of NCHD working hours on a joint basis with the IMO. The study is being undertaken at eight hospitals by PA Management Consultants. The report of the study will be available in June. Any increase in the number of doctors required to implement the Directive on Working Time will have to be considered in the light of the report of the Forum on Medical Manpower. We do not wish to worsen the existing unsatisfactory career structure for doctors by employing more NCHDs without long-term career prospects.
I hope that continuing contacts between the two sides can avert any prospect of industrial action which would not be in the interests of patients and will not help in a resolution of the structural problems which affect Irish hospital medicine.