Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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266. To ask the Minister for Health if he is aware of the subsistence and below minimum wage salary that fourth year student nurses currently experience, as they work 39 hours per week for nine months and receive €6.95 per hour; and his plans to address this issue. [36911/15]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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283. To ask the Minister for Health if he will increase their rate of pay of student nurses, given the valuable work they carry out in patient care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37068/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 266 and 283 together.

Fourth year undergraduate student nurses undertake a 36 week rostered placement as a part of their degree programme. When doing so, they are not qualified nurses and require supervision. The replacement ratio for student nurses replacing staff nurses is 2:1.

Student nurses participating in the 4th year rostered clinical placement are paid in accordance with the trainee rates specified in the National Minimum Wage Act. They are paid €6.49 for the first 12 weeks of the placement, €6.92 for the second 12 weeks and €7.79 for the third 12 weeks, excluding premium payments. This equates to approximately 53% of the 1st point of the staff nurse scale. Mental health student nurses are paid 2.3% more, reflecting existing relativities between general and psychiatric staff nurse pay scales.

These rates will be increasing shortly in line with the increase in the minimum wage announced in Budget 2016. Pursuant to the Lansdowne Road Agreement, the Department of Health and the HSE are to consider the issues of pay for student nurses during the fourth year 36 week placement with the nursing unions. This process has commenced.