Vol. 471 No. 7
132 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health his views on whether the predominance of females working as physiotherapists bears any relation to this profession's current poor status in comparison with other graduate health care professionals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21622/96]
151 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the current position in relation to ensuring equity for all graduate health care professionals, in particular for physiotherapists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21621/96]
152 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the current position in relation to the status of the pay negotiations for physiotherapists under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work. [21623/96]
158 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health whether poor relative pay for physiotherapists ensures that such graduates currently emigrate to find work and authorities such as the North-Western Health Board have difficulty in recruiting staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21639/96]
160 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Health the current position regarding the pay negotiations for physiotherapists under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21666/96]
Limerick East): As the Deputies are aware, the talks between my Department and IMPACT, on behalf of physiotherapists, are complex. However, direct negotiations are ongoing, under the auspices of the Health Service Employers' Agency, with a view to arriving at a mutually satisfactory conclusion as soon as possible. In these circumstances any further comment on this issue would not be appropriate or helpful.
The predominance of females is common to the vast majority of paramedical professions whose pay relationships have evolved from historic and complex origins.
The graduates of the two schools of physiotherapy, namely University College Dublin and the University of Dublin, Trinity College, possess a qualification which is recognised for employment worldwide. While the North-Western Health Board is not alone in experiencing difficulty in recruiting physiotherapists, the decision to emigrate is a personal one for such graduates.
