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

Deputy Doherty also raised this matter and I gave him a detailed response. Perhaps Deputy Boyd Barrett was not present at the time. As he knows, the majority of students are not paid. However, nursing students are paid in their pre-registration year in recognition of the fact that they are among a small group of students who do valuable work for which they should be paid. A review of their wider allowances and remuneration is under way. It will be discussed with their union. Any change that is made will come into effect in September 2021. What Deputy Boyd Barrett did last night was pure party politics.

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