James Bannon (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to deal with this Adjournment matter, which concerns physiotherapy students from around the country, at least two of whom come from my area of Longford-Westmeath. Given that payments are made to trainee nurses in similar circumstances, why are physiotherapy students, who undertake valuable work, not paid while on work placements? I call on the Minister of State to make some commitment to provide extra funding to hospitals to cover such payments. While we are not talking about significant sums of money, it is important that the funds come from the Department of Health and Children rather than the hospitals taking the trainees. Each year, approximately 150 trainee physiotherapy students begin their training in this country. The students undertake 1,000 hours of work placement in their third and fourth years of study. They provide an excellent support service to hospitals, working hard to clear backlogs of patients for no monetary reward. In many cases, they or their parents have to pay additional living expenses in terms of bed and breakfast accommodation near placement hospitals. They also have to pay for meals and travel costs.

A further financial burden is put on these students because, unlike their peers in other disciplines who finish college at the end of May, they are unable to take summer employment to pay for the next college year. Many have placement hours scheduled over the summer months and even those who finish before the beginning of the autumn term find that all the vacancies for summer jobs have been filled.

Trainee nurses earn 80% of the first point on the basic nursing pay scale when they undertake work placements during their studies. I am aware of trainee engineers who are paid generously during their work experience. It seems the scales are harshly weighted against trainee physiotherapists and I wonder why this is so, given that a relatively small level of funding to hospitals would eliminate this anomaly. If hospitals had to pay trainee physiotherapists from their already limited funds, many would be unable to offer places. However, in light of the valuable work done by the students, any funds provided to hospitals would be amply repaid.

The students' prospects on qualification are not necessarily rosy. There is a lack of job opportunities in this country for this discipline and graduates often have difficulties in finding employment. Strangely, the website of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment points to a shortage in the number of physiotherapists and offers work opportunities to qualified non-EU professionals. That is a contradictory position.

I urge the Minister of State to help these dedicated students and their hard-pressed parents by providing a small sum to offset the financial difficulties they experience. I have been approached by two students from my constituency on this matter, one from Athlone and the other from Longford.

Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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Well put. I hope the Minister of State will be as good to Senator Bannon as he was to Senator White.

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I am reminded of the famous phrase, "the futility of consistency".

Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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One must not be futile.

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to take this debate on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. I would like to outline to this House the position regarding the funding of physiotherapy clinical training. The model for the training of physiotherapists in Ireland, including the clinical component, is in line with best practice internationally. Students on the four physiotherapy courses are required to undergo clinical training for a period of 1,000 hours, equivalent to approximately 26 weeks. This training is delivered in approximately seven clinical sites at different periods over the four years of the degree programme.

I do not accept the validity of the comparison between payments for the clinical training of nurses and physiotherapists. Physiotherapy students are supernumerary while on their clinical placements. The clinical training component of the nursing degree is 2,300 hours, equivalent to 74 weeks, and is laid down by EU directive. The clinical training for nurses is more than double the training given to physiotherapists. Student nurses are not paid when on supernumerary clinical placements. A rostered placement or internship takes place towards the end of the nursing degree programme, during which the student is a paid employee of the Health Service Executive and receives a salary based on 80% of the staff nurse salary. These students replace staff nurses according to an agreed ratio.

I would like to take this opportunity to set out the range of measures which have been put in place to support the training of physiotherapists. In 2002, a significant increase in the numbers of training places in three therapy professions, namely, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy, were announced. An increase of 25 training places in physiotherapy was necessary to meet the long-term demand for physiotherapists in Ireland. A new physiotherapy course with places for 25 students was established in the University of Limerick in 2002 in addition to the existing physiotherapy courses in UCD, TCD and the RCSI. The total number of training places now stands at 152.

The provision of sufficient clinical placements in physiotherapy was essential to the successful roll-out of these additional training places. Over the past two years, the Department worked with the Health Service Executive to develop the enhanced structures necessary to ensure students have access to a sustainable and high quality clinical training model. A national implementation group co-chaired by the Department and including representatives from the higher education institutes, professional therapy bodies and professional managers has been established to address the ongoing need to source clinical placements over the longer term.

A significant level of funding has been secured by the Minister for Health and Children. A total of €5.18 million, including €2.75 million announced in budget 2006, has been allocated since 2004 for the development of therapy clinical training.

James Bannon (Fine Gael)
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Physiotherapy students will not receive succour until Fine Gael is in Government.

Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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They will have a long wait before that happens.

James Bannon (Fine Gael)
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I am disappointed that they will not get funding in the immediate future.

Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)
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They have funding.

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I did not think I would please Senator Bannon. He has been waiting a long time already and I am sure he will not mind waiting another few years.

James Bannon (Fine Gael)
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What kind of response is that?