Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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1723. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider providing standard allowance, placement grants and payment for work carried out by student radiographers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15231/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Radiography students do not receive an allowance to support time spent on placement as part of their course. There are no plans to change this.  

In 2020, assistant radiographers were employed on a 3 month contract following completion of their final year clinical placement, subject to the needs of the Health Service. As their skills were identified as being required during the COVID-19 response and subject to the needs of each acute hospital, they were offered a temporary 3 month assistant radiographer role following successful completion of their 7 week final year clinical placement. The 3-month period commenced on 18 May 2020.

It should be noted that across the health and social care disciplines, there could be over 8,000 students on placement in hospital and healthcare settings. Of this number, around a third are final year students. The length of placements and the activities performed during these placements vary between the disciplines. Students are not employees and in many cases the nature of the placement can, in the main, be limited to participation in an observing and a learning capacity.

Uniquely for student nurses and midwives there is, in the final year, a paid salary when they are specifically employed on an internship placement. Student nurses and midwives’ final year internship placement consists of a continual 36-week rostered clinical placement, including annual leave. The internship placement is a paid placement as the student nurses and midwives take a reduced caseload. During these placements, students are under supervision and are considered as 0.5 WTE of the workforce. In addition, Intern students can be allocated across all shift patterns including nights, weekends and 12-hour days.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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1724. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the position of newly qualified doctors (details supplied); if the decision will be reversed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15234/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Over the past number of weeks, my Department and the HSE have been reviewing the option to increase the number of medical intern places for July 2021.

I have announced an increase of 120 medical intern posts for July 2021. The increase in the number of intern places will be supported with accompanying increases in postgraduate training places, to ensure these doctors can avail of the next step in the training pathway following completion of an internship.

The six Intern Training Networks, that organise and oversee intern training in Ireland, are responsible for the allocation of intern posts within their particular networks. The networks have now been informed of the additional intern posts for July 2021, and will allocate the additional posts appropriately.