Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 336: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she is considering staff retention measures specifically aimed at nurses in view of the high drop out rate in recent years of recently qualified nurses; if consideration has been given by her Department to the causes of the high drop out rates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41793/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I am not aware that there is a high drop out rate among recently qualified nurses. The first cohort of students from the new four year degree programme graduated and registered as nurses earlier this year. I understand that the overwhelming majority of these newly qualified nurses have taken up employment in the public health service.

The Government has been conscious of the need to recruit and retain nurses and midwives in the public health service and a number of initiatives have been introduced. The pay and conditions of nurses and midwives have dramatically improved over the last nine years. The basic pay of staff nurse has increased by over 74% since 1997. The pay of Clinical Nurse Manager 3 has increased by 113% in the same period. The promotional structure within nursing, including the introduction of a clinical career pathway, has been substantially improved on foot of the recommendations of the Commission on Nursing and the 1999 Nurses' Pay settlement. Over 38% of nurses are now in grades above staff nurse level.

The Government has invested heavily in nurse education — thirteen new purpose built schools of nursing have been provided and undergraduate training places have been increased by 94% since 1998. A comprehensive range of financial supports have been introduced to support qualified nurses in pursuing part-time degrees and specialist courses. My predecessor introduced a scheme of flexible working arrangements for nurses and midwives in February 2001. Under the scheme, individual nurses and midwives may apply to work between 8 and 39 hours per week on a permanent, part-time basis thus helping to retain nurses in the workforce whose preference is to work less than the standard week. The Health Service Executive has established a Nursing and Midwifery Recruitment and Retention Project Office to coordinate national initiatives to ensure there is an adequate supply of nurses and midwives.

The Government has been successful in attracting an additional 10,200 nurses and midwives into the health service over the last nine years. I am confident that the extensive range of measures I have outlined will continue to prove effective in addressing the nursing workforce needs of the health services.