Govt has ‘no role’ in regulating private vet practice salary scales – Heydon
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon said that government departments “have no role in setting, prescribing or regulating salary scales” for those in privately-operated veterinary practices.
The minister made these comments in response to parliamentary questions from Fine Gael TD Colm Burke.
Deputy Burke asked the minister if consideration would be given to the introduction of “salary bands for registered veterinary nurses to ensure that they reflect the qualification status, and in particular taking into account the additional hidden costs incurred by registered veterinary nurses annually”.
The TD listed some demands on veterinary nurses, including “annual registration fee with the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI), the completion of 12 continuing veterinary education credits annually, in addition to long working hours, unpaid overtime and increasing workplace pressures”.
Deputy Burke also said that the “average salary for a registered veterinary nurse in Ireland remains significantly below the national average, despite completing Level 6, Level 7, and Level 8 degrees”.
He also asked if consideration would be given to the provision of “funding supports to veterinary practices employing registered veterinary nurses (RVNs), enabling fair pay to RVNs without passing the entire cost onto pet owners and farmers”.
Veterinary Council of Ireland
In response to Deputy Burke, Minister Heydon said government departments "have no role in setting, prescribing or regulating salary scales for employees of private sector organisations, including those working in privately-operated veterinary practices".
The minister added: “Pay and conditions in the veterinary sector are matters for individual employers and employees, or their representative bodies, and are determined through normal contractual arrangements and labour-market negotiations.
“The Veterinary Council of Ireland, which regulates the practice of veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing under the aegis of my department has no statutory function in relation to remuneration, and neither does the department.
“Accordingly, any salary structures or pay-scale considerations for Registered Veterinary Nurses or other staff within private veterinary practices remain entirely outside the remit of government pay policy."
