Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Again, I appreciate the Deputy's concerns. As he will know, active recruitment is taking place of as many as possible of the young nurses who are currently graduating. My understanding is that a significant number of these nurses are opting to stay in Ireland. Equally, some of them are leaving. Ongoing arrangements are in place to relocate 456 people to Ireland. A relocation package of approximately €1,500 is on offer to attract nurses back and one year of nursing registration fees will also be paid. Those returning will also be eligible for permanent positions and will be given credit for service accrued while abroad.

What else is in the budget to attract people home? A key element of attracting young people such as recently qualified nurses to return, one with which Sinn Féin disagreed, is the reduction in the universal social charge. The reduction will assist people at the beginning of their career who are on lower incremental rates and have not reached the top of the scale. People returning home will face a universal social charge regime under which those who are on part-time earnings of up to €13,000 will be removed from the USC net, while those who are eligible to pay the lower rates of USC will receive a reduction in the rate. People taking up a full-time position will benefit most because the higher rate of 7% has been reduced to 5.5%.

I am aware that Sinn Féin, in its pre-budget submission, did not opt to prioritise reducing the universal social charge for people coming home.

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