Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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327. To ask the Minister for Health when the €100 weekly payment to student nurses will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17774/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In the context of COVID-19, I appointed Professor Tom Collins to undertake a short-term review of the current allowances available to student nurses and midwives. His report was submitted to me on 31 December 2020.

The key recommendation in this Report is that an additional and exceptional Student Nurse/Midwife Pandemic Placement Grant of €100 per week for each week spent on supernumerary placement be introduced from January 2021 for the duration of the pandemic.

I have confirmed my full acceptance of the Report’s recommendations and my Department has directly engaged with nursing/midwifery union representatives in this respect.

The position on the implementation of the Collins report remains that I have accepted the recommendations of the report and my Department officials are continuing to engage with representative bodies. I am hopeful this engagement will conclude shortly which will allow for the implementation of these additional measures which will further assist student nurses and midwives during this challenging time.