Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for his attendance today. In the few seconds available to me, my guess is I will not get the Taoiseach to agree to solve the multiple emergencies throughout the fractured health system. Consequently, I have decided to go easy on the Taoiseach and to ask him to solve one issue about which I was banging on yesterday and on different occasions, namely, an issue concerning nurses, my colleagues. The Taoiseach should be aware there were hundreds of nurses outside Leinster House on the reconvening of the Dáil to welcome him back after the recess. The issue is about increments and the injustice of the increments for the intern students from 2011 to 2015. While this was agreed on by the Government, the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive, HSE, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, has reneged on it, does not really wish to listen and is not responding and consequently, I appeal to the Taoiseach. It is an easy-peasy thing to do and I am not asking for the sun, the moon and the stars. That is another debate for another time but I really would like the Taoiseach to attend to this issue.