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

As I understand it Irish trained nurses do not have to do an adaption course but they do have to re-register with the NMBI if they allow their registration to lapse. There have been some delays in processing applications for all sorts of reasons, not entirely administrative delays, but I am certainly aware of that. It is the case that we are in quite a different position than where we were a year ago and thought we would be at this point in time. The HSE will increase the total number of general nurses working for it by 500 this year and at the same time the nursing home sector is growing also so there is a greater demand for nurses than was the case this time last year, and more so than had been expected. That is causing difficulties but it also means that in some cases the HSE is hiring nurses off the nursing homes. The nursing homes are then trying to take nurses off the HSE, and the agencies are involved in the whole show as well. It is something I am aware of, as is the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch. We are meeting with Nursing Homes Ireland on Thursday to try to discuss solutions. We are aware of it but like many of these issues, the solutions may not be as straightforward as they may appear. However, we will find them.