MEDICAL consultants have warned that they may no longer allow their pay claims to be dealt with by the Buckley Review Group, a body set up by the Government to review their pay and conditions.
The Irish Medical Organisation consultants are protesting at the continued delay in publishing the Buckley Group report, which was submitted to the Department of Finance in February.
Mr Conal Devine, industrial relations officer with the IMO, said it had been a "summer of discontent" for consultants because of the "unprecedented" delay. He said the consultants were already due another review.
"This delay calls into question the whole validity of the independent review body process and the political decision not to publish it," Mr Devine said.
The organisation is to meet the Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, within the next three weeks to discuss the matter, according to a report in the Irish Medical News.
Mr Devine said he believed the report would be held back until October, after nurses had balloted on their continuing dispute with the Department of Health. "We do not see the connection between this and a review by an independent body."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Finance said yesterday that the report had not been brought before the Government. No decision would be made about the publication of the Buckley review until it had been examined by Cabinet, she said.