Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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405. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to reverse the cuts to the hourly rate of pay for nursing and midwife interns, and to implement a minimum wage hourly rate; his views that further steps need to be made to encourage and support nursing and midwifery graduates to stay here upon completion of their training; that treatment as interns is linked to the current shortage of nurses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40337/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Student nurses participate in the 4th year rostered clinical placement as part of their degree programme and are paid in accordance with the trainee rates specified in the National Minimum Wage Acts for the duration of the placement. At present they are paid €6.49 per hour 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. When undertaking the 4th year placement, the students are not qualified nurses. Consequently they do not fulfil the full range of nursing duties and require supervision. This is reflected in the 2:1 replacement ratio for student nurses replacing staff nurses.

The current rates of pay will be increased from the 1st January 2016, in line with the increase in the minimum wage to €9.15 per hour announced in Budget 2016 and provided for in the National Minimum Wage Order 2015 (S.I. No. 442 of 2015).

There is an international shortage of nurses and recruitment is a significant challenge at present, particularly in specialist areas. Irish nurses choose to go abroad having completed the degree programme for a number of reasons. There are many initiatives currently underway to improve nursing staff levels throughout the country. These include the retention of 2015 degree programme graduates, offering full time permanent contracts, and an international recruitment campaign.

Pursuant to the Lansdowne Road Agreement, the Department of Health and the HSE are to consider the extent to which the issue of pay for student nurses during the fourth year 36 week placement and the position in relation to incremental credit have a bearing on nurse/midwifery recruitment and retention. These matters are to be the subject of direct engagement between the nursing unions and my Department and the HSE. This process has commenced.