Confidence builds on consultant deal (Ireland)

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0123/breaking4.htm

There was increasing confidence that a deal on new consultants'contracts would be reached as talks resumed in Dublin this afternoon.

The talks are taking place against the background of a marathon 16-hour session which ended without agreement in the early hours of this morning and which saw the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) delegation walk out claiming that "little progress" had been made.

However, Finbar Fitzpatrick of the larger Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA), told ireland.com at lunchtime that there was "increasing confidence" that a deal would be reached.

He said progress had in fact been made in the talks and that it was hoped that agreement would be reached by this evening.

"At one stage, between 1am and 2am, we thought the talks were going to break down but we stuck with it.

"While today's session will be long, it will not be the same marathon as we had last night," he said. Mr Fitzpatrick said the issue of pay was not raised but it would be high on the agenda for this afternoon.

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