Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I urge all Deputies in the Chamber to support the motion and, for once, to put their money where their mouths are. Student nurses and midwives, along with everyone else who works in the health services, do not want us standing up in the Chamber clapping. That is actually an insult to them. It is patronising and demeaning. What they actually want is fairness and respect.

The situation has not been good in our hospitals in recent years. That is due to the under-investment not only of this Government but of previous Governments as well. It has become far worse since Covid-19 - we are all aware of that.

For me and my colleagues in Sinn Féin this is an easy and straightforward decision. It is about fairness and respect. A sum of €100 is an insult and will not cut it. Where students are needed to work, they should be paid. The decision not only lies with the Minister. There is a responsibility on the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, too. Ironically, he was the Minister for Health before the current Minister and, of all people, he should know about this situation and should be well aware of it.

We cannot see any more empty promises or delays in respect of this. I wish to take this opportunity to make a point in respect of the health services. The staff are exhausted and at breaking point, if they have not already gone past that point. If our colleague, Deputy David Cullinane, was the Minister for Health, he would ensure that student nurses and midwives were paid. It is a reality that our hospitals were understaffed badly before the pandemic. We simply could not function without the valuable work the student nurses and midwives do. No one wants to put students at risk but the Government has been failing to invest in health, has failed to put in place enough staff and has failed to keep this virus under control as a result. Throughout the pandemic, student nurses and midwives have been working bravely and tirelessly every day to protect our families and community from Covid-19.

I will finish because we are tight on time. People are sick of talk, promises and claims from those who say they have sympathy and empathy for others. They really want to see action. For once, I appeal to the Minister to ensure he does the right thing.

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