Minister for Health Mary Harney insists that seven weeks is "a reasonable timeframe" for the successful conclusion of talks with hospital consultants on a new contract.
Ms Harney was responding yesterday to weekend comments from the two bodies representing hospital consultants - the Irish Hospital Consultants Association and the Irish Medical Organisation - to the effect that a seven-week timeframe set for the talks was unrealistic. Ms Harney said nothing would be achieved without setting deadlines and a seven-week timeframe for the talks had been set. This means they will have to conclude by March 27th.
"I believe if you don't have timeframes you achieve nothing and we have spent some considerable amount of time now where nothing has been achieved.
"Governments can be put together in a matter of weeks so surely it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that we could have a new contract of employment agreed by the timeframe set by the Government," Ms Harney said.
"I've asked that the chairman of the talks would report to the Government in the first instance by February 27th and in the final instance by March 27th.
"We believe at Government level that that is a reasonable timeframe and I think we all have to be focused on finding solutions now and not on finding problems," she added.
She was speaking to reporters after attending the launch in Dublin of a multi-million euro initiative between a French pharmaceutical company and University College Dublin.
The talks between the IHCA, the IMO and health service employers on a new contract for consultants are due to resume next Tuesday. They have been dogged by a lack of progress for two years.