Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It has been said here that we describe our front-line health workers as heroes and they have done absolutely heroic work, and nobody would deny that. Nevertheless, we are debating in this House once again a lack of respect and equality. It would have been absolutely straightforward for the Government to reintroduce the healthcare assistant rate and it would have been fair, given our current circumstances. Placements have been postponed and there are concerns from the INMO and SIPTU about this matter, as our already stretched health sector is under severe pressure due to the huge numbers of patients affected by Covid-19.

We request fair payment and respect for the people out there doing all the heavy lifting. The Government has the power to do this and it is straightforward. We accept there are difficulties relating to vaccinations but we want transparency, clarity and to ensure fairness in the process. Although €100 is not sufficient for the work done by student nurses, I request that the allowance be paid upfront. That request was made to me by student nurses at Dundalk Institute of Technology.

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