Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Despite the moratorium on recruitment in the HSE, some 720 nurses have been employed in the past two years and 186 of those have been in the mental health area. The salary in the United Kingdom for nurses starts at £25,000. New graduates are being offered posts at up to €25,000. The most important thing at the moment is the health of the patient. The HSE employes 35,000 nurses. It would be a fantastic opportunity for these nurses to take up these posts. I recognise that it is 80% of the salary of a normal nurse.