Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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670. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the payment of salaries to student nurses as healthcare assistants has ceased; his plans for the reinstatement of the payment for student nurses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34642/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Healthcare Assistance initiative, whereby student nurses and midwives were offered temporary contracts, was in response to the Covid-19 outbreak and ceased in August 2020. This initiative was only ever intended as a temporary measure to provide additional support of to the national effort. It also offered some protection to the ongoing education of student nurses and midwives as their clinical placements had ceased.

Clinical placements for Student Nurses have resumed. There are no plans at present to reinstate this initiative.