DOCSLIB.ORG

Dáil Éireann

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Dáil Éireann Vol. 1003 Wednesday, No. 3 20 January 2021 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES DÁIL ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Pay for Student Nurses and Midwives: Motion [Private Members] � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 204 Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders’ Questions � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 231 20/01/2021Y00400Personal Explanation by Minister of State � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 242 20/01/2021Y00700An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 242 20/01/2021CC01400EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement: Motion � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 251 20/01/2021RR00200Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Statements (Resumed)� � � � � � � � 280 DÁIL ÉIREANN Dé Céadaoin, 20 Eanáir 2021 Wednesday, 20 January 2021 Chuaigh an Leas-Cheann Comhairle i gceannas ar 10 a�m� Paidir. Prayer. Pay for Student Nurses and Midwives: Motion [Private Members] 20/01/2021A00200Deputy David Cullinane: I move: “That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — the Government has commissioned two reviews of the pay of student nurses and midwives; — the first review on pay for placements during the Covid-19 pandemic was completed and its main recommendations were published on Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) before the report itself was published or issued to members of the Oireachtas; and — the second review has yet to be concluded; recognises that: — there are more than 4,500 student nurses and midwives who must complete clinical placements which require them to work 12-hour shifts for no pay; — student nurses and midwives regularly perform real work on wards, which is not recognised by the Government or formally recognised by the Health Service Executive; — this work is not formally part of their degree but is necessitated by the chronic understaffing across the health service, and that students plug the gaps left by a fail- ure to invest in safe staffing levels; — this practice has led to student nurses and midwives, as well as other students, such as radiography students, performing pandemic-related work which places them 204 20 January 2021 in regular contact with Covid-19 positive patients and requires them to work on Co- vid-19 wards; and — the €100 per week payment offered by the Government is inadequate and does not reflect the current reality in hospitals; and calls on the Government to: — immediately publish the Collins review of student nurse and midwife pay dur- ing the Covid-19 pandemic, which has been partially leaked to the media; — immediately reinstate the March agreement as provided for in the review for students performing pandemic-related work to ensure that they are appropriately paid for their work on the frontline for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic; — urgently advance the second review to be conducted on the allowances of student nurses and midwives to ensure that new allowances are in place by the end of the Covid-19 pandemic; and — expand the second review to ascertain the extent to which students performing work in hospitals beyond the requirements of their degree occurs, and to ensure that where this occurs it is appropriately compensated�” This motion is about fair, reasonable and sustainable rates of pay and allowances for student nurses and midwives. I first raised this issue with the Minister for Health on the floor of the Dáil in July 2020� I raised it again in September, October and November� As the Minister is aware, other Members also raised the issue and brought forward a Private Members’ motion, which was voted down and against by his party and colleagues in government� I want to say from the outset, so that there is no confusion, that my party is not seeking to change the current model of education and training for student nurses and midwives� It is a model that serves us well� In my view, we turn out some of the best and most hard-working stu- dent nurses and midwives, who are the envy of the world� The problem is that they do not feel respected or valued� I have engaged with hundreds of student nurses and midwives over the last number of months. I have listened, at first hand, to what they have told me. To be clear for the Minister, they understand that there is an element of training, education and supervision to their placements� However, as the Minister is aware, they also understand and know that when they step onto a hospital ward, there is a strong element of work� They are doing real work and they want that to be respected and valued� They want the Minister to put fair and reason- able solutions on the table� What the Minister has put on the table so far has been completely unacceptable. An allowance of €100 per week for first, second and third years has been quite rightly been regarded as a slap in the face and far from adequate� It is not fair and reasonable� That approach should be contrasted with the approach the Minister took in respect of the most senior civil servant in his Department� He sat down with two of his ministerial colleagues and hatched a plan to give that individual a pay rise of €81,000 upon the post becoming permanent� I am not referring to a salary of €81,000 but to a pay rise of €81,000, bringing the individual’s salary close to €300,000 a year� How can the Minister say that is fair and reasonable, and shows that he values the work that those on the front line, including student nurses and midwives, do in our hospitals? How is that fair? Student nurses and midwives are looking at this, as are others, 205 Dáil Éireann and they are saying that what the Minister did over the past number of months is prioritise that individual over the needs of the thousands of student nurses and midwives who have done such huge and Trojan work in our hospitals since this pandemic struck� I want to outline to the Minister some of the experiences that have been recounted to me by those student nurses and midwives� One of them said: I was diagnosed with Covid-19 during my placement. I had to put my entire family at risk because of the work that I do� For all of that, I got nothing� An allowance of €50 per week and a travel allowance of 25 cent a mile paid two months after placement finished or, if you lived close by, nothing at all� Another told me: It is ten months since I got Covid while working for free and I am still not better� I will either emigrate or return to college because it is not worth working as a nurse in this country� I want the Minister to listen to those words because they show why this motion is so im- portant� If we do not value the work that student nurses and midwives do, they will leave� We are putting them through what is, as I said earlier, one of the best training and education pro- grammes in the world, yet they are leaving in droves because, they are telling me, they do not feel valued and respected by the Minister and the Government� This is an issue that should not divide us� It is an issue on which this House should be united that we do what is right, that we right a wrong here and that we make sure we pay student nurses and midwives reasonable and fair rates of pay and allowances� That is all they are looking for� I am calling on the Minister to support this motion� I am calling on him to do what is right� I am calling on him to send a powerful message to student nurses and midwives that we want them to stay here working in the Irish healthcare system, not emigrating, and that we value the work they are doing on a daily basis� I ask the Minister to listen to and support this motion� 20/01/2021B00200Deputy Mark Ward: It is time now to pay student nurses and midwives� A payment of €100 is an absolute insult to the hard work put in by student nurses on the front line� Student nurses and midwives did not go into hiding when they were called upon� They have put them- selves at daily risk for the common good� They have gone above and beyond what they were asked to do� These students were working, they were needed to work and they should be paid for working. It is as simple as that. The €100 the Government has offered will not cover trans- port, lunches or childcare� It is an insight into how the Government values our student workers, and workers is what they are� As Deputy Cullinane said, it is no wonder that so many are leaving our shores once they qualify� This is about fairness and €100 is an insult and just will not cut it� The decision to pay student nurses and midwives lies with the Minister for Health but the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, is also responsible for protecting students from exploitation� The two Ministers need to step up to the plate and pay student nurses and midwives now� There should be no more empty promises and no more delays� If my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, was Minister for Health, I have no doubt that he would pay student nurses and midwives now� The decision to suspend placements for student nurses is just another attempt to kick this issue down the road and muddy the waters� I spoke with students in my own area in Dublin Mid-West and they tell me that suspending student places does not make sense during a staffing crisis.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • THE 2009 RYAN REPORT and 2013 MCALEESE REPORT Thesis
    ‘DOCUMENTS OF TRUTH’?: THE 2009 RYAN REPORT AND 2013 MCALEESE REPORT Thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements of the University of Liverpool for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy by Lucy Simpson-Kilbane Institute of Irish Studies University of Liverpool December 2020 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Diane Urquhart, for her incredible support. Professor Urquhart’s expert knowledge has been invaluable and her unwavering enthusiasm for the topic encouraged me to persevere through the many highs and lows of the project. I cannot thank her enough for her patience and the time and energy she invested in my research and personal development. I would like to thank Professor Lauren Arrington, Dr Maria Power, and Dr Eleanor Lybeck who joined my supervisory team at various stages and encouraged me to view the material from different perspectives. I would also like to thank Professor Peter Shirlow and the Institute of Irish Studies for funding this project and providing opportunities for me to share ideas and gain vital feedback. I particularly wish to thank Dr Kevin Bean who prompted me to think critically about the aims of my research. I also wish to thank Patricia Sweeney of RTÉ Libraries and Archives who was extremely accommodating and located additional resources that greatly enhanced my understanding of the public response to historical institutional abuse. Finally, I would like to thank my parents and my family for their continued love and support. I particularly wish to thank my husband for the sacrifices he has made and the support he has offered throughout.
    [Show full text]
  • Towards Equality for Unmarried Parents and Their Children
    Towards Equality for Unmarried Parents and Their Children A history of the first 40 years of Treoir The Federation of Services for Unmarried Parents and their Children 1976 – 2016 Margot Doherty, Margaret Dromey, Dr. Patricia Kennedy, Gemma Rowley, Eilis Walsh 1 1 A HISTORY OF THE FIRST 40 YEARS OF TREOIR TOWARDS EQUALITY FOR UNMARRIED PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN 2 A HISTORY OF THE FIRST 40 YEARS OF TREOIR TOWARDS EQUALITY FOR UNMARRIED PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN Foreword It is my honour and privilege to be the chair of TREOIR on the fortieth anniversary of its foundation. Over those forty years, TREOIR has consistently and expertly supported unmarried parents and their children and advocated on their behalf. As this excellent account of TREOIR’s growth and development makes clear, the organisation was formed at a time when our society attached great shame to having children outside of marriage and unmarried mothers and their children experienced a high level of discrimination. Unmarried girls who became pregnant had few choices if they could not support themselves. Their children were deemed to be ‘illegitimate’ and were legally described as ‘filius nul- lius’ – the child of no one. Giving their child up for adoption was the only option for most women in these circumstances. Moved by the difficulties faced by these young women, a group of compassion- ate and far sighted people came together in the early 1970s to provide support and assistance. A number of organisations were formed, including Treoir, then known as the Federation of Services for Unmarried Parents. From the begin- ning, the focus of TREOIR has been to provide information to unmarried par- ents and the professionals with whom they come in contact, the promotion of research and the adequacy of the law as it affects unmarried parents and their children.
    [Show full text]
  • SECULARISATION in IRELAND: an Analysis of the Reaction of Irish Newspapers to Scandals Surrounding Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalen Laundries from 1990 Until Today
    h SECULARISATION IN IRELAND: An analysis of the reaction of Irish newspapers to scandals surrounding mother and baby homes and Magdalen laundries from 1990 until today. Thesis for MA History in Political Culture and National Identities. Lorna Tompkins. [email protected] Leiden University. Supervised by Dr. Joost Augusteijn. Wordcount: 25,818, excluding footnotes and bibliography. Dedicated to the memory of Mary Magdalen Derby and unmarried mothers who fell victim to prejudice in Ireland’s past. TABLE OF CONTENTS page i. List of mother and baby homes and Magdalen laundries in the Republic of Ireland. 1. Introduction and discussion. 2 . 2. Mother and baby homes: the scandals of the 1990s. 21 An analysis of articles regarding mother and baby homes from 01 January 1990 until 31 December 1999. 3. The Magdalene Sisters. 39 An analysis of articles regarding the film from 30 August 2002 until 31 December 2003. 4. The McAleese Report and the formal State apology to the Magdalen 54 women. An analysis of articles covering the McAleese report from 05 February 2013 until 31 December and the Magdalen apology from 19 February 2013 until 31 December 2013. 5. The Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home, Tuam, County Galway. 72 An analysis of articles regarding the Bon Secours mother and baby home from 01 June 2014 until 31 February 2018. 6. Conclusion. 86 7. Bibliography. 91 List of Mother and Baby homes that were previously active in the Republic of Ireland: • Ard Mhuire, also known as The Good Shepherd Home, Dunboyne, County Meath. • Belmont, Dublin 4. • Bethany Home, Dublin 6.
    [Show full text]
  • Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation Report
    Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation Report Draft Alternative Executive Summary UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL JULY 14 2021, 09:00 DRAFT - DO NOT QUOTE OR CITE WITHOUT EDITORS’ PERMISSION July 13 2021 Foreword .............................................................................................................................................................. 3 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................................... 5 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 7 1.1 Human Rights: Summary of Findings .................................................................................................. 10 2. Unmarried Motherhood in Context ............................................................................................................ 14 2.1 Concealment ............................................................................................................................................ 14 2.2 Impacts of the Law on Illegitimacy ....................................................................................................... 15 2.3 Natural Fathers ........................................................................................................................................ 17 2.4 Profit and Responsibility .......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]