Ms Phil Ní Sheaghdha:

Again, student nurses in first, second and third year spend between 12 and 14 weeks every year in the health service observing and learning the craft of nursing and midwifery. Since the pandemic commenced, they have advised us very clearly that they do not have that luxury. They go into work and are assigned patients, and the person assigning them has no choice because the workforce is not there. There are over 6,000 healthcare professionals out sick with Covid or through being close contacts. When they turn up, these student nurses are a pair of hands and assisting in the delivery of healthcare. They are not paid.

Fourth year student nurses are paid €10.70 per hour for 36 weeks but they advise us that what they are doing is way beyond what is in the learning contract they have with their employer. In March 2020, an arrangement was arrived at that they would be paid as healthcare assistants, with a rate of €14 per hour, while student nurses in first, second and third year would get contracts as healthcare assistants while their learning would also be credited. We are saying to the Minister for Health that this arrangement should now be in place and there should be recognition that it is. There is only one definition for somebody who goes into a workplace during a pandemic and does not get paid for the work; it is exploitation. We simply cannot accept that the matter is not being addressed by the Government.

We met the Minister for Health last evening and the provision is unchanged. We appeal to the committee to make very clear representations on that matter. It is simply not good enough. We want these people to stay in Ireland when they qualify and we have been battling with measures to retain qualified nurses for years. Now we have this, which is an own goal by the Government.