Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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828. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to introduce a salary scheme to compensate student nurses who while on placement carry out a standard 35-hour week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36918/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I recognise the importance of student nurses and midwives completing their essential clinical placements in a safe environment and also recognise the potential hardship that might arise for students on placement due to COVID 19 such as, maintaining part time employment, increased travel and additional accommodation costs. 

Student nurses and midwives are not paid for clinical placements in years 1-3 of their studies and this supernumerary status is critical for learning in complex environments.  Financial supports for non-intern student nurses and midwives are governed by Circular 9/2004, that provides:

- an accommodation allowance up to €50.79 per week to be paid where it is necessary for a student to obtain accommodation away from their normal place of residence;

- a refund of travel expenses.

Both are paid as refunds on production of receipts. 

In the immediate term my Department is reviewing a number of supports that apply to this year’s 1^st, 2^ndand 3^rdyear students on clinical placements, taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on such placements.

Concerning 4^thyear nursing and midwifery students, the HSE continues to fund the internship employment of these students who are on rostered work placements. It is very important that the training element is protected for students. This includes those scheduled to commence in the coming weeks and those due to commence rostered work placement in 2021. These 4^thyear student nurses and midwives on rostered work placement are paid at the approved rate, that is €22,229 on an annual basis for psychiatric nursing specialism and €21,749 for all other nursing disciplines. This rate of pay is determined by HSE circular 005/2016 and is updated in accordance with the consolidated pay scales issued on 01^stOctober, 2020 by my Department.  

Separately, and for the longer term, my Department is also reviewing the accommodation and travel allowances for students on clinical placements that should apply from the academic year commencing Autumn 2021 and onwards. This review is expected to conclude at the end of this month, and I look forward to examining the outcome of this review in due course.