Consultant cover: Talks aimed at resolving the on-going row over insurance cover for hospital consultants may reconvene later today.
The talks between the Department of Health and the Medical Defence Union (MDU) stalled on Friday when the MDU walked out of the negotiations.
Last evening, however, it was confirmed the MDU had informed the Department it would return to talks this afternoon subject to a number of pre-conditions.
A spokeswoman for the Department said it had received the MDU letter, would study its contents and discuss it with the MDU today.
The talks are attempting to work out a plan under which historic liabilities of consultants would be insured into the future. There has been no guarantee these, particularly as they relate to obstetricians, will be covered by the MDU since the Department of Health introduced a new way of insuring consultants under a scheme called enterprise liability on February 1st.
The MDU, a British-based insurer which then lost business as a result, said it could not guarantee it would be able to fund the historic liabilities of consultants who were insured by it in previous years.
These liabilities, according to the Department, could amount to €400 million.
The Department is seeking to have the MDU's accounts independently audited to see whether it can meet its liabilities or to what extent it could meet them. It is understood the talks broke down on this issue.
The MDU wanted the independent auditors report to be sent to it before it went to the Department.
Irish Hospital Consultants' Association secretary general Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick said he was pleased the talks seemed about to resume.
The IHCA postponed an escalation of its industrial action last month to allow the talks progress.