Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am nearly lost for words. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to give us an update. He stated that we are going to compensate young women and men for not going to work in Captain America's on a Friday night so that they keep themselves safe and can go into the Mater, St. Vincent's, Blanchardstown and Drogheda hospitals to provide a service.We are going to compensate these young people if they get sick but we are not going to give them a few bob for the work they are doing in keeping our citizens safe, our hospitals running and ticking over in the manner which we have enjoyed for the past ten months. We have had a system of the delivery of healthcare because of every cog in the wheel is working. Our student nurses, from first to fourth year, are an integral part of that cog. By Jove, if they walked out tomorrow, we would know how much work they are actually doing.

Will the Minister of State tell the Department to review the health care assistant contract for autumn next year? While it might be welcome for the nurses then, it will do nothing for our young people working in the public health care system today. I am pleading with the Minister of State and the Minister for Health to re-evaluate, acknowledge and accept the dedication and hard work of these student nurses, as well as the learning in our hospitals. We must recognise with more than a round of applause the hard work being done by these young men and women.