Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator Sherlock's amendment. Today, I would like to raise two issues that fall under the health remit. I cannot believe I have to rise again today to raise the issue of student nurses and midwives, but there has been no resolution to the pay issue for them. I brought a Bill on student nurses' pay to the floor of this House, which passed Second Stage, but I am told the Government proposes to let it die on Committee Stage. Despite the accolades and declarations of support for our overworked and undervalued student nurses and midwives no progress has been made on the pay issue. I cannot believe that months on, student nurses and midwives are still getting in touch with me to ask what is happening with the measly €100 per week per week promised to them, about which there was a great deal of coverage. I ask the Leader to inquire of the Minister for Health what is happening with regard to student nurses and midwives and when we will see a resolution to this matter.

The second issue I want to raise has been already raised by a number of other Senators today, namely, the announcement yesterday to lift the restrictions on maternity services. There was much celebration about this online, but, as already highlighted here, there is concern that this announcement has overshadowed what is actually happening. A nominated support partner can attend the 20-week anomaly scan, but the 12-week booking is not included. What is also not covered in the announcement is antenatal appointments and unscheduled care or pregnancy loss. This is not good enough.

I take the issue with the phrase "conditions are right". Conditions were never wrong. As a country, we decided to not go with the World Health Organization advice and thus we caused an enormous amount of undue suffering to pregnant women and their families. I was disappointed yesterday when the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, undermined the HSE leadership in its attempts to bring in minimum standards of care. We cannot continue to prioritise these arbitrary traumatising restrictions. Pregnant people and their partners deserve better. I hope that the Minister for Health will consider offering his leadership in this area, rather than seeking to undermine the work of the HSE.