David Cullinane
Question:1891. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the cost for 2020, 2021 and 2022 of the student nurse and midwife pandemic placement payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35770/21]
View answerTuesday, 27 July 2021
Questions (1891, 2164, 2358, 3076)
Rose Conway-Walsh
Question:2164. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Health if all student nurses have been paid the back dated placement grant for their work during the pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36720/21]
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Louise O'Reilly
Question:2358. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health when the €100 grant payment for student nurses during their hospital placement will commence given many have indicated that they yet to receive the payment; if the payment will be backdated; if the payment will be subject to tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37496/21]
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Holly Cairns
Question:3076. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if all student nurses and midwives on placement are receiving the announced €100 allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40186/21]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1891, 2164, 2358 and 3076 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, at the end of 2020 a short-term review of student nurse and midwife allowances in the context of COVID-19 was undertaken at my request by Professor Tom Collins. This review was conducted to examine any additional challenges that the Pandemic may have created for student nurses and midwives on supernumerary clinical placement and final-year internship placement. I accepted all of the recommendations which Prof. Collins made. This includes the payment of a Pandemic Placement Grant (PPG) of €100 per week for each week of supernumerary clinical placement which is backdated to the start of the current academic year, September 2020. I have received the necessary approval for the payments to be classified as a tax disregard to ensure they are not subject to tax. The total cost of the PPG for the academic year 2020/2021 is €7.4m
The processing of the payment of these grants is well underway. However, the recent HSE IT disruption did cause some delay to the planned completion by early June. The HSE have confirmed a significant number of students have received payment and they are working with local clinical sites to ensure that outstanding payments are completed as soon as possible.