Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)

Mr. Gloster spoke earlier about utilising equipment, operating theatres and so on to the max. When we compare what is happening in the HSE with the private sector, there is a significant amount of unused time in the week, and that is not even going into the night-time. It does not make sense from a productivity perspective to have expensive equipment lying idle. Has Mr. Gloster looked at the possibility of introducing a four-over-seven working week to incentivise staff to work evenings, Saturdays and Sundays? Most people in the health service and in other places are looking for a better work-life balance. Could he do that on the basis of a four-day week?