asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that £2 per month has been added to the living-in expenses of student nurses attached to St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin; and that such increase has nullified the 12th round pay award; and what action, if any, he proposes to take in the matter.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Student Nurses' Expenses.
35.
St. Vincent's Hospital is a voluntary institution in respect of which I have no direct functions save to determine the annual amount of revenue deficit which may be recouped from the Hospitals Trust Fund.
However, I understand that increased charges for the emoluments of accommodation and rations were introduced at the instance of the Hospitals Commission in St. Vincent's and all other hospitals participating in the deficits scheme with effect from 1st April, 1970, in line with similar increases in the case of nurses employed in local health authority hospitals.
These increases in charges were introduced concurrently with the salary increases granted to nurses under the first phase of the 12th round. The increases, contrary to what the Deputy was informed, did not nullify the effect of the first phase of the 12th round. The increase in salary granted to a student nurse works out at 30s a week approximately. The increase in the charge for emoluments works out at 13s a week approximately and it is fair to add that the charges for these emoluments had not been increased since 1964 although several salary increases have been awarded since that time. In this connection I would refer the Deputy to the report on the Appropriation Accounts for 1966-67 in the course of which the Public Accounts Committee drew attention to the fact that charges for services provided for resident hospital staffs had not been increased in recent years although salaries and wages had increased considerably. Since 1964 to date, the salaries of student nurses have increased by approximately 67 per cent while the charges for emoluments have increased by only 25 per cent in the same period.