I have two Private Notice Questions. I shall call Deputies in the order in which they presented their questions to my office. First, I call Deputy Liz McManus to state the matter of which she has given notice to me.
Private Notice Questions. - Health Board Employees Industrial Action.
asked the Minister for Health to state what steps have been taken to ensure the provision of essential services in the light of the official strike action that started this morning involving more than 700 employees of the Eastern Health Board: what steps have been taken to seek a settlement of the dispute; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I now call Deputy Bernard Allen to submit his question.
asked the Minister for Health if he will give an assurance to the House that recipients of supplementary welfare allowance will not be affected by the official strike in the Eastern Health Board.
From this morning clerical and administrative staff of the Eastern Health Board have taken industrial action following an appointment to the board's personnel department. Arrangements necessary to ensure the continued maintenance of all essential services are under ongoing discussion between the health board and the union concerned, IMPACT. While this is a personnel issue, the resolution of which the health board has prime responsibility, I am keeping in close touch with the matter. I am assured that the health board is taking all possible steps towards an early resumption of normal duties and I understand that discussions are taking place at this moment in an effort to resolve the dispute. I shall keep the Deputies and the House informed of all developments.
Could the Minister be a little more specific in relation to the time involved? It is quite clear that, if there is no settlement, within a matter of days up to 1,800 staff and professionals employed in the Eastern Health Board could be affected by an extension of strike action. The action could have major repercussions for a service that is already overstretched and having difficulty in meeting the demands made on it. Could the Minister give more details in relation to the attempts being made to resolve the difficulty?
The dispute is only a few hours old. At this moment discussions are ongoing between the unions concerned and the health board. I have been in touch with the chief executive officer of the health board to underline the gravity of the position from my perspective. I am hoping for an early resolution of the difficulty.
I call Deputy Allen for a final question.
Could the Minister give an absolute guarantee that recipients of vital cash contributions — aid towards rent relief and other basic supplementary welfare allowances — will be paid on a day to day basis irrespective of the merits and demerits of the strike action? Can we be sure that the most vulnerable people in our society here in Dublin will be protected?
I am most anxious not to say anything that might in any way aggravate the position. I assure the House that I will be doing everything in my power to ensure that all essential services are maintained as normal.
That disposes of questions for today——
I tabled a Private Notice Question to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry about a meeting he had last May with the company that now appears to want to acquire the Government's shareholding in Greencore. You ruled that question out of order on the grounds of lack of urgency——
The Deputy certainly does not make it in order by raising the matter now.
The urgency seems to me to lie in the fact that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries is withholding information——
The Deputy is being disorderly.
——even in spite of the fact that we had a debate on that issue last week. I hope that you bear that aspect in mind.
I shall now give the information appertaining to the Adjournment Debate.
I had a supplementary question to ask. I indicated——
I wish to advise the House of the following matters——
I indicated that I had a supplementary question but I did not ask the question.
The Deputy did ask a supplementary question.
Could I just ask the Minister——
I am now going on to other business and I have no intention of going back to other matters.
Would the Minister——
I should like Deputy Allen to resume his seat, please.