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

I thank the Deputy. For many in society, when it comes to the pandemic, things are largely back to normal. Many people are able to go back to their workplaces and schools, colleges, shops and businesses are open. For our hospitals, however, the pandemic is as bad as it ever was. There are 500 people in hospital with Covid today and almost 100 people in ICU. Hospitals are trying to manage Covid care as well as regular healthcare, and there is a big backlog of unmet need, given that non-Covid care was reduced so much during the initial phase of the pandemic. Therefore, hospitals are very busy at the moment. People in our hospitals and across our health service are working extremely hard. We are facing into a very busy winter as we try to manage the pandemic, provide regular care and address the unmet needs of those whose healthcare needs were not met during the pandemic. We acknowledge the extraordinary work of all our health service workers in that regard.

On the issue of student nurses, which I am aware the Deputy has raised and has a real interest in, it is the Government's policy to protect and support the continued education of all students, including student nurses and midwives. A longer term review of matters related to student nurse and midwife allowances and internship pay has been conducted by Mr. Sean McHugh. I am advised the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, will outline his plans regarding the report shortly, and these plans include a 12.5% increase in payments to student nurses and midwives in their internship year and a continuation of the pandemic placement grant. Payments may be required to be backdated to October.

While they are on their clinical placements, student nurses and midwives in years 1, 2 and 3 and in the first semester of year 4 continue to receive a weekly accommodation allowance of €50.79 as well as reimbursement of their travel costs.

Supernumerary student nurses and midwives also received an additional and exceptional pandemic placement grant during the academic year of 2020 to 2021. This was designed to support them with undertaking clinical placements during the pandemic. As the pandemic is still continuing and staff in hospitals face particular challenges, the pandemic placement grant will continue to be paid. The Minister for Health will announce details of this shortly. The pandemic placement grant was introduced by the Minister as an exceptional payment to support students attending clinical placements during the last academic year. As the pandemic is still ongoing and staff in hospitals continue to face particular challenges, this grant will continue to be paid. The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, will announce further details as soon as possible.

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