Health Committee Hears Concerns About Nurses' Pay

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today met the Health Committee about the nurses pay award for 2007. Nurses have been offered a staged pay award this year and the RCN is pressing for nurses in Northern Ireland to receive their pay award in full backdated to April 2007.

Chairperson of the Committee, Iris Robinson MP, said: “We fully recognise the dedication and commitment of nurses and the considerable pressures they are currently facing in the health service. The Committee is concerned to ensure that the value and work of nurses is adequately recompensed through their pay award. The Committee will be writing to the Minister about the issue”.

The Committee also heard the strong views of the public sector union Unison on the use of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) to deliver new acute hospitals and other heath related facilities in Northern Ireland. Unison expressed particular concerns about the use of PFI to provide the new hospitals in Enniskillen and Omagh.

The Committee chairperson said: “The Committee has concerns that the use of private finance in this way may not always represent the best value for money and it is an issue we will be pursuing further with the Department. We welcome the opportunity to hear the views of Unison and next week we will be questioning the Department officials on the issue”.

Note to Editor:

Committee Membership:

Mrs Iris Robinson MP (DUP) (Chairperson); Ms Michelle O’Neill (SF) (Deputy Chairperson); Mr Thomas Buchanan (DUP); Rev Dr Robert Coulter (UUP); Dr Kieran Deeny (IHC); Mr Alex Easton (DUP); Mr Tommy Gallagher (SDLP); Mrs Carmel Hanna (SDLP); Mr John McCallister (UUP); Ms Carál Ní Chuilín (SF); Ms Sue Ramsey (SF)

The Clerk to the Committee is Mr Hugh Farren, Room 412, Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast BT4 3XX.