Rose Conway-Walsh: Calls for More Nursing Places and Better Pay
Rose Conway-Walsh criticised the treatment of student nurses, arguing they are underpaid and that more training places are urgently needed. She called for a fair allowance for student nurses, increased degree places, and clear educational and career pathways.
Student pay and conditions
Rose Conway-Walsh said students have been asked to plug staffing gaps and noted political pressure secured just €100 a week to pay student nurses for pandemic work. She commended the students, the INMO and the Students Union of Ireland for their campaigning, and described accounts from two nurses in Limerick who cannot work in other settings due to cross-contamination fears and who have been driven into poverty by high fees and travel costs. She quoted the slogan asking why nurses are "priceless but penniless" and said valuing nurses must start with students.
Training places and demand
The speaker highlighted demand for nursing and midwifery education, noting that over 5,000 Leaving Cert students put nursing or midwifery as their first CAO preference but only around 2,000 places are available. She said almost 4,000 students enrol in pre-nursing courses each year but less than 5% progress to degree courses, and she outlined a call for an increase of 250 places this year and a continued expansion to reach 2,500 annual new entrants. She also said more places should be reserved for students at pre-nursing level and that nurses need a clear educational and career pathway.
Workforce planning and international recruitment
Rose Conway-Walsh cited a WHO warning about a global shortage of nurses that could affect reliance on international recruitment and argued for training and retraining more nurses domestically. She criticised an alarming lack of planning and forward thinking and urged the government to "join the dots" on nursing shortages, places in colleges and respect for nurses and midwives.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Goeir Maagat, Lauska Heerlech. Minister, why would someone who's not working be asked to do a 12-hour shift unless they really are working? The fact is that students plug the gaps left by a failure to invest in staffing levels. Political pressure played a key role in the beginning of the summer in securing just €100 a week to pay student nurses for the work they did during the pandemic. And I want to commend all of the students that have tirelessly campaigned and the INMO and the Students Union of Ireland for the work that they have done on this issue. I met with two nurses from Limerick today that described the work they do and they told me about how they're not allowed to work in other health care settings due to the cross-contamination fears and how they've been driven into poverty by the high fees they have to pay and the high costs of trying to get to be a nurse. And I thought one of the slogans today summed it all up when they said, why are nurses priceless but penniless? We need to value our nurses. They have earned that. On top of this, the WHO has also warned of the global shortage of nurses that could impact our ability to rely on international recruitment. And we need to ensure we train and retrain as many nurses as possible into the future. Key to that is how we treat and respect nurses and midwives. That needs to start with students. We not only need to provide a fair allowance for student nurses, but we also need to increase the number of places for people who want to study nursing. The government needs to join the dots on the nursing shortages and the lack of places in colleges for young people. There is an alarming lack of planning and forward thinking. It is a testament to our young people that each year over 5,000 Leaving Cert students put nursing or midwifery as their first preference on the CAO. Yet we can only accommodate around 2,000. We have both a need and demand for these courses and places. Sinn Féin have been calling on the government to increase places by 250 this year and to continue to increase numbers until we reach 2,500 annual new entrants. Almost 4,000 students enrol in pre-nursing courses every year, but less than 5% of those get access to a degree course in nursing. Sinn Féin would also ensure a larger number of these places were reserved for students in pre-nursing levels in the state. And that nurses have a clear educational and career pathway. Minister, there are lots of things that need to be addressed. Thank you very much.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
