John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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1690.To ask the Minister for Health when a pay issue will be resolved (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34306/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the very important part that Clinical Nurse and Midwife Specialists (CNS/CMS) play in our health sector. They have a key role in the effective coordination of care for patients in our Health Service.

The Department of Health is committed to the continued and ongoing development and support of the CNS and CMS roles going forward.

Recent increases applied to the Clinical Nurse/ Midwife Manager 2 (CNM2/CMM2) scale were a result of the implementation of recommendation 45 of the Expert Review Body (ERB) on Nursing and Midwifery.

While I understand that the salary of the CNS/CMS role has historically been aligned with the CNM 2/CMM 2 role, the terms of reference for the ERB did not incorporate the CNS/CMS for pay related considerations. Following engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery, and Reform, I can confirm that the Department of Health has now received sanction to allow the benefits of recommendation 45 of the ERB to also be applied to the CNS/CMS grade.

Circular 7/2024 has been issued by the Department of Health, sanctioning and detailing the implementation of this pay change.