Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We all appreciate the extra work student nurses have done during the pandemic to help us increase our health service capacity. In recognition of that, many student nurses were taken on as healthcare assistants during the first wave and were paid for that purpose. It is important to acknowledge that generally, students are not paid across the public service. Medical students, trainee gardaí and teacher trainees are not paid. Student nurses in their final or pre-registration year are paid because they are different and do real work on wards that would not be done were it not for them. That is why there is special recognition for student nurses and why they get paid in their pre-registration year, even though most students in the public service and, indeed, the private sector, do not get paid for their work. The Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, is examining whether we can improve the payment they receive but this issue must be seen in the wider context that it is not the norm for students to receive payment in either the public or private sector.

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