Michael McCarthy (Labour)

Regarding the INO debate which has been taken over the last few days, I ask the Leader for a debate with the Minister for Health and Children regarding the very serious shortfall in nurses. We now have more non-European nationals working for us in the nursing professions than we have Irish people. The vast majority of graduates leave the profession after two or three years. The report of the Commission on Nursing made several sweeping recommendations, and many of those have been implemented, for example, the degree programmes in nursing. It was also recommended that the Nurses Act 1985 be amended to include the term "midwives". That has still not been done, though the then Minister, Deputy Cowen, received that report five or six years ago. I would appreciate a response from the Leader on those issues.