Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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673. To ask the Minister for Health the plans that are in place to include nurses studying and training under a sponsorship scheme in the travel and subsistence scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14909/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the travel and subsistence scheme is applicable to student nurses and midwives on supernumerary placement only. Mandatory supernumerary practice placements occur for 45 weeks from year 1 of the programme right through to the first semester of year 4. These students are not employees and are additional to the workforce in a learning capacity and are therefore not paid.

The enhanced travel and subsistence scheme for student nurses and midwives undertaking supernumerary clinical placement arose following recommendation from the McHugh Report, which was an examination of the existing arrangements regarding additional travel, subsistence and accommodation requirements of student nurses and midwives on clinical placement specifically. It is governed by Circular 4/2023: Payment of Clinical Placement Allowances to Undergraduate Supernumerary Nursing and Midwifery Students.

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 and are considered as 0.5 WTE of the workforce. As these intern students receive a paid salary, they are not eligible for the travel and subsistence scheme which is designed specifically to support student nurses and midwives undertaking supernumerary clinical placements.

A sponsorship scheme is available from the HSE for public health service employees to train as a nurse or midwife, governed by HR Circular 40/2020: Sponsorship for Public Health Service Employees wishing to train as Nurses/Midwives. This sponsorship scheme is open to support staff in the Irish public health service who want to become nurses or midwives. To be eligible for this scheme, employees must be directly involved in delivering care to patients or clients in a nursing/midwifery context. For example, healthcare assistants and multi-task attendants are eligible for this scheme. Successful applicants under this scheme, remain paid employees for the duration of their nursing or midwifery degree programme, and as such continue to receive their basic salary, in addition to receiving sponsorship of fees for their chosen programme of study. As with nursing and midwifery interns, students on the sponsorship scheme are paid employees and therefore, are not eligible to receive supernumerary clinical placement allowances. There are no plans to change this.

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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674. To ask the Minister for Health the dates that meetings were scheduled, since June 2022, between his Department and trade unions representing healthcare workers with long Covid to discuss pay issues relating to this medical condition; the dates of such meetings his Department and trade unions on long Covid and healthcare workers that were cancelled by his Department since June 2022; the reason(s) for these cancellations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14910/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I am acutely aware of the issues experienced by public health employees in relation to Long Covid and I am committed to providing support.

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has provided for Special Leave with Pay (SLWP) for the recommended isolation period (currently 7 days), for civil and public servants nationally who contract Covid. For certain employees who remain unfit to attend the workplace and are suffering from long-Covid, a temporary Scheme, specific to the public health service was introduced to provide for Paid Leave for Public Health Service Employees unfit for work post Covid infection. Employees who met the eligibility criteria for the Scheme transferred to the Scheme on 1st July 2022.

For those who do not meet the criteria for the temporary Scheme but remain unwell, the provisions of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme may be utilised.

Department officials are working to establish a process for engagement with multiple stakeholders to analyse how support could be provided going forward for those public health employees suffering from Long Covid. However, as this is an ongoing Industrial Relations matter, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this point.