Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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I had hoped the Minister for Health or one of his Ministers of State would be here.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is not the only one.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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I have had replies from the Minister to several parliamentary questions on this issue and had hoped the Minister would be here, given that he knows the background to the matter. In any event, I wish to know the up-to-date position regarding the reason for non-payment to third year DIT biomedical science students of the monthly training allowance payable to them while on placement in public health service laboratories. I am raising this on behalf of current and former students of biomedical science at DIT Kevin Street, who used to be paid a monthly allowance for the period of their third year full-time placement, which involves training in public health service laboratories in hospitals. Payment of this allowance was stopped three years ago on the grounds of HSE cutbacks. However, although biomedical science is offered at three third level colleges - namely, DIT, NUI Galway and Cork University - and students of those courses had all previously received the allowance, it was stopped only for the DIT students. Students at the other two colleges still receive the allowance and have done so over the past three years.

It is also worth noting that the Department of Health and Children document on consolidated salary scales for new entrants, effective from 1 January 2011, states that the third year student medical scientist monthly training allowance is €813.58. I am aware that when the allowance was stopped, the issue was raised on behalf of the students by the Medical Laboratory Scientists' Association and, as I mentioned earlier, I have raised it in a number of parliamentary questions, starting in February of this year. I have since put other parliamentary questions to the Minister for Health on this matter, the last of which was in September. I have also written to the Minister on the issue a number of times. In response to my question in February, the Minister stated the following:

Student medical scientists who are in their third year of study and who are accepted for a clinical placement in a public health service laboratory are eligible to receive a monthly training allowance of €813.58. I am making inquiries about the particular issue raised by the Deputy and will correspond with her on the matter as soon as possible.

It is also noteworthy that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, in its review of allowances, makes reference to the monthly training allowance paid to third year medical science students. I ask the Minister of State to update me on the investigations the Minister of Health said he was carrying out. What is the reason for this anomaly? Why is it that the DIT students do not receive the allowance but students in the other two colleges do?

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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On behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, in which she obviously has had a keen interest.

Student clinical placements in the health sector are a feature of training and education in a range of health disciplines. These placements build on the academic training received in colleges and universities and provide students with practical experience of a health service working environment. Clinical placements ensure that graduates are then in a better position to take up employment following graduation. Some placements involve the payment of a salary or allowance, while others do not.

Arrangements for a payment to student medical scientists undertaking clinical placement in hospitals were put in place in the 1980s. These arrangements applied to all hospitals where such placements occur. I understand that in recent years a number of hospitals in the Dublin area discontinued this payment to student medical scientists, primarily on cost grounds.

The Health Service Executive is currently examining this issue with a view to determining which hospitals are involved and the number of students affected. This process will be concluded shortly. It will then inform a decision with regard to future payment of this allowance in the hospitals concerned. Here is the old official line: it would not be appropriate for the Minister or for me to prejudge the outcome of this process. However, the Department of Health has assured me there will be no undue delays in dealing with the matter and that the HSE will be communicating with the hospitals concerned in the very near future.

Deputy Tuffy made a compelling case which cut through the verbiage that one regularly hears on these matters. The HSE needs to get its act together because clearly there is a disparity in the payments issued by the various colleges and hospitals. I am informed by another note that the Department has emphasised to the HSE the need to resolve this issue in light of the fact that the Deputy previously raised it in a parliamentary question as long ago as last year. The fact that it has taken this long to come up with a convincing argument on payments dating back to 1981 suggests a certain inadequacy in decision making, if that is not too bold a comment to make. I understand the Department has asked the HSE to clarify the issue and the latter is investigating which hospitals are involved and the number of students affected. When the HSE comes to a conclusion the Department and the Minister will be informed.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. The students work full-time when they are on placement in hospitals. As a result of the allowance for DIT students, many are required to take on part-time employment in addition to their full-time placements. Clearly, that undermines their ability to work to their full capacity in the hospitals concerned. The Department of Health has stated that the allowance is payable and, similarly, student environmental health officers receive a weekly payment while on placement. Other students such as student nurses are paid substantially more. If the Department sets an allowance, surely it is not for the hospitals themselves to decide whether to pay it. This is an unfair anomaly and it is important that it be addressed. The issue of back-pay also arises for students who did not receive the allowance and as a result incurred significant costs. They expected to be paid the allowance and their peers in NUIG and Cork were paid.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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It is absurd that one group of students should receive an allowance of €903.98 per month while, just because the Dublin hospitals have disentangled themselves from it and decided not to provide support, another group of students does not. We either have one system or we do not. Deputy Tuffy has highlighted an important issue. In 2009, the Dublin hospitals that received students from DIT decided to discontinue the payment, but that is not applicable to other hospitals around the country. There is a clear disparity and this is why the Minister has asked for a thorough examination of the issue and a report from the HSE with credible answers and proposals for addressing it. I hope that as a consequence of Deputy Tuffy's raising the issue the students will get answers at the earliest opportunity. It is not good enough that she is still waiting for a concrete answer despite having raised the issue last year.