Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Nurses are the bedrock of our health system. They are the front line and the essential building blocks of our response to the care and treatment needs of our citizens. It is my belief that this State has treated our nurses appallingly over the past ten years. We have watched our hospitals crumble at the seams while simultaneously waving goodbye to our nurses at airports and ports all around Ireland as they went off to practise their skills in other countries. Ireland has provided them with world-renowned education and training, but not with pay parity or an appropriately delineated career pathway.

Given the short time available, I will cut to the chase and speak about the Minister of State's specific area of responsibility, disability rights. In order to deliver on the commitments of the recently ratified United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, investment and care in services is needed, as the Minister of State well knows. Recruitment of additional nurses to fulfil our obligations to our disabled brothers and sisters will go some way to achieving this, and retention is equally important. I appeal to the Minister of State and his Government colleagues to invest in our young nurses. Invest in these caring young people, respect these highly educated front-line public employees and thereby serve the nursing needs of our citizens and communities.

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