asked the Minister for Health if, having regard to the pending closure of St. Patrick's Nurses' Home, he will give sanction to the Dublin Health Authority to absorb nurses affected by the closure into the public health service.
133.
Ceisteanna—Questions (Resumed). - Integration of Nurses in Public Health Services.
132.
asked the Minister for Health whether the District Nursing Association will be closed down; and, if so, if he will take all necessary steps to enable all jubilee nurses irrespective of age to be absorbed into the public health service and to enjoy full pension rights.
134.
(Dublin South Central) asked the Minister for Health how soon he is prepared to sanction the integration by Dublin Health Authority of the jubilee nurses into general health services.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 132, 133 and 134 together.
In view of the recent publicity regarding the future position of the Queen's Institute of District Nursing in Ireland I would like to set out for the Deputies' information the background to the matter.
I have been in correspondence and have had discussions with the Institute over the past year regarding the future of the services provided by Jubilee Nurses. I urged the Institute, as strongly as possible, on many occasions, to continue as they had been doing and gave them guarantees of continuing substantial financial support for district nursing associations. I also gave the Institute guarantees about the superannuation position of the nurses.
At an extraordinary meeting of the Institute held on 3rd October, 1967, a resolution was passed that, in view of the failure to obtain trainees, the Institute would cease to provide district nursing training courses. The Council of the Institute promised to write to me about this resolution. I received the promised letter on 10th November. In effect, the position is that while the Institute will discontinue providing district nursing training courses, they hope that the local district nursing associations will continue to provide services with their existing nurses. So far I have had no indication that any appreciable number of local associations contemplate closing and I may mention that there is every likelihood that the Lady Dudley Nurses' Scheme, which employs 33 nurses in the western areas, will continue its activities indefinitely. I sincerely hope that as many of the associations as possible will continue their activities, and for as long as possible.
As regards the pension rights of the Jubilee Nurses, arrangements are in train for the participation by these nurses in the superannuation scheme for the staffs of voluntary hospitals which it is expected will be introduced next year. The scheme will give the nurses superannuation benefits approximately on a par with those under the local government code.
Presumably the Deputies' questions regarding the nurses affected by the proposed closure of St. Patrick's Nurses' Home arises from a recent statement by the Irish Nurses' Organisation that they understood that I had not given sanction to Dublin Health Authority to absorb the nurses concerned into the public health services. I do not know where the organisation got its information and indeed I would have expected them to verify their facts before rushing into public statements which must have caused anxiety to nurses affected. In fact, I had informed the health authority in a letter of 17th October, 1967, that I had no objection in principle to their taking over the staff concerned. I could go no further than that in the absence of detailed information about the professional qualifications, age, marital status, etc. of the nurses. I understand that Dublin Health Authority will submit these details to me shortly.
The general position is that any of the nurses under 65 years of age who is unmarried or a widow can be taken over in a permanent capacity at her existing salary notwithstanding that she may be over the normal age limit for recruitment. Any local district association which has to discontinue its activities will find me no less ready to facilitate the absorption of the nurses concerned into the local authority service.
Can the Minister say whether any local district association in Dublin has in mind to close down?
Not that I know of.