Consultants seek Harney’s intervention in contract talks

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association is calling on Health Minister Mary Harney to intervene in their contract talks with health service managers.

The talks have been deadlocked since the start of the year due to disagreement over moves to ensure that public hospital consultants do not have lucrative private practices on the side.

There has also been disagreement over how consultants will be paid for working under the new contracts.

IHCA spokesman Donal Duffy said today that the negotiations were a mess and Ms Harney's intervention was desperately needed due to the attitude of the Health Service Executive.

"We have been waiting since 1999 to discuss a new consultant contract and, every time we sit down, the HSE messes it up with another breach of an agreement," he said.