Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Why would someone who is not working be asked to do a 12-hour shift, unless they really are working? The fact is that students plug the gaps left by a failure to invest in staffing levels. Political pressure played a key role at the beginning of the summer in securing just €100 a week to pay student nurses for the work they did during the pandemic. I wish to commend all of the students who have tirelessly campaigned, and the INMO and the Union of Students in Ireland, USI, for the work they have done on this issue.

I met with two nurses from Limerick today who described the work they do. They told me that they are not allowed to work in other healthcare settings due to fears of cross-contamination and described how they have been driven into poverty by the high fees they have to pay and the high costs involved in qualifying as a nurse. I thought one of the slogans I saw today summed it all up. It read: "Why are nurses priceless, but penniless?". We must value our nurses. They have earned that.

On top of that, the WHO has warned of a global shortage of nurses that could impact on our ability to rely on international recruitment. We must ensure that we train and retrain as many nurses as possible into the future. Key to that is how we treat and respect nurses and midwives. That must start with students. We not only need to provide a fair allowance for student nurses; we also need to increase the number of places available for people who want to study nursing. The Government needs to join the dots on the nursing shortages and the lack of places available in colleges for young people.

There is an alarming lack of planning and forward thinking. It is testament to our young people that each year, over 5,000 leaving certificate students pick nursing or midwifery as their first preference on the CAO form, yet, we can only accommodate around 2,000. We have both a need and demand for these courses and places. Sinn Féin has been calling on the Government to increase the number of places available by 250 this year and to continue to increase the numbers until we reach 2,500 annual new entrants.

Almost 4,000 students enrol in pre-nursing courses every year, but less than 5% of them get access to a degree course in nursing. Sinn Féin would also ensure that a larger number of these places are reserved for students in pre-nursing levels in the State, and that nurses have a clear educational and career path. There are many areas that need to be addressed.

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