Mary Henry (Independent)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, to the House. As he will be aware, an expert group on midwifery and children's nursing convened in September 2004. The primary objective of this group was to develop a comprehensive strategy for the future of midwifery and children's nursing education. The group reported in December 2004 and there can be few groups which have ever reported more quickly on such complex issues. I suspect, however, that it did so because it was aware of the serious situation regarding the lack of midwives and children's nurses in this country.

In 2002, general nursing, psychiatric nursing and nursing for those with intellectual disabilities was made a four-year degree course in some of our universities. This meant that it looked far less attractive to go into midwifery and children's nursing after doing a degree course than it had been in the past. This group was examining what recommendations should be made concerning the teaching of midwifery and children's nursing. There was a severe shortage in both nursing categories.

The expert group's main recommendations sought a four-year degree course in midwifery and a four and a half-year course in general and children's nursing. It was recommended that such courses start in September 2005 by direct entry to third level institutions. It was recognised that making nursing a degree level qualification had raised standards substantially.

NUI, Galway, NUI, Cork, the University of Limerick, UCD and Trinity College were nominated as institutions where midwifery could be studied. This plan was to be associated with the relevant health service providers. Children's nursing was proposed for UCD, Trinity College and NUI, Cork also in conjunction with the relevant health service providers.

A memorandum of understanding was to have been drawn up with the universities. It was reckoned that this would take approximately eight months because they would have to know what finances were available to recruit staff and so forth. It was hoped that these courses would be in place this year. However, we are still in the same position as we were in December 2004. We still have a situation where, in order to obtain a registered midwifery degree, one must do a four-year course as a general nurse followed by two years to become a midwife. The expert group recommended that if this was to continue, the latter period should be cut to 18 months and, instead of having to do another two years for children's nursing, it should be one year.

We do not seem to be any further on than we were at the end of last year. The Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children has told the Irish Nurses Organisation that she would ensure the necessary funding would be written into the Book of Estimates, but all this is rather vague.

I admit that I have an interest as a member of the midwifery committee of the Rotunda Hospital, as well as being on that hospital's board. We have a really serious situation regarding the lack of midwives. One cannot tell babies to put off being born. Unfortunately, that is an impossibility. At the same time, there is a great shortage of specialised children's nurses. From time to time, one hears that children's investigations and operations are put off. The final recommendation of the expert group's 51 recommendations reads: "The expert group recommends that a national committee, chaired by the Department of Health and Children, be established to oversee the implementation of the recommendations set out in this report." If that does not happen immediately, we will not be in a position to have an intake for these courses if they are set up in 2006. I look forward to hearing what the Minister of State has to say on what the Department has done about these recommendations.

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Mary Henry (Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I ask him to remind the Tánaiste that the population has increased greatly, the birth rate is increasing and women need assistance when giving birth. It is not right to take midwives from developing countries. I am sure neither he nor the Tánaiste would like to see that practice continue.