Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. The students work full-time when they are on placement in hospitals. As a result of the allowance for DIT students, many are required to take on part-time employment in addition to their full-time placements. Clearly, that undermines their ability to work to their full capacity in the hospitals concerned. The Department of Health has stated that the allowance is payable and, similarly, student environmental health officers receive a weekly payment while on placement. Other students such as student nurses are paid substantially more. If the Department sets an allowance, surely it is not for the hospitals themselves to decide whether to pay it. This is an unfair anomaly and it is important that it be addressed. The issue of back-pay also arises for students who did not receive the allowance and as a result incurred significant costs. They expected to be paid the allowance and their peers in NUIG and Cork were paid.

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