Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome this opportunity to provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the expert group on midwifery and children's nursing education. The expert group was established in September 2004 to develop a comprehensive strategy for the future of midwifery and children's nursing. This follows the introduction in 2002 of the four-year undergraduate nursing degree programme in general, psychiatric and intellectual disability nursing.

The group comprised representatives from the Department of Health and Children, the education sector, health service providers and unions. It was established in response to concerns about the capacity of the current system of education to produce an adequate supply of midwives and children's nurses to respond to existing and future needs within a changing health service.

As Senator Henry indicated, the group presented its report to the Tánaiste in late December 2004. The major recommendation is the introduction of a four-year undergraduate midwifery degree programme, offering 140 places available per annum and a four and a half-year integrated children's-general nursing degree programme offering 110 places available per annum.

The Tánaiste welcomed the report of the expert group. She is committed to implementing those recommendations of the report relating to the undergraduate midwifery and integrated children's-general nursing degree programmes. While it is the intention that both programmes would commence in autumn 2006, there are issues which are of concern to the Tánaiste. These include, in particular, the scale of the additional costs identified for the implementation of the two programmes, having regard to the significant infrastructural and other resources already in place to support undergraduate nursing education.

The Department of Health and Children is currently involved in negotiations with the third level sector to reduce the costs being sought by the higher education institutions for the transfer of midwifery and children's nursing education to the third level sector. The Department has also consulted with the Department of Education and Science, the Higher Education Authority and the Health Service Executive regarding this issue.

It is the Tánaiste's view that regard must be had to the capital investment of over €240 million, which has been committed by the Government in recent years for the provision of new, purpose built infrastructure for undergraduate nursing students with state-of-the-art clinical skills and human science laboratories. The Tánaiste hopes, as I do, that the current negotiations will result in a reduction of costs and will provide a way forward for the introduction of the midwifery and integrated children's general nursing degree programmes in autumn 2006.