I welcome this Bill. I was appalled by the attitude of Deputy Niall Andrews, who came into the House from the election trail in Dublin City to make a speech totally irrelevant to the Bill, concentrating on the situations occurring in various hospitals throughout Dublin without once resorting to the actual provisions of the Bill. It was an insult to the House and an appalling way to treat the nurses of this country, professional women, who have rendered excellent service for many years. It was appalling to use a Bill pertaining to them as an election gimmick in the European elections.
Deputy Niall Andrews contended that this Bill was saying to the nurses: we do not have confidence in you; we are taking away your powers. Deputy Andrews and other Opposition Deputies might remember that this Bill is the result of a working party report which was comprised primarily of nurses, the nurses themselves in that report having outlined a formula for the development of their profession and the services they will be providing in future years. That working party made those recommendations to the Minister. Subsequently the Bill was drafted and followed closely the facts as presented by that working party.
I should like to mention in particular the section relating to education and the extension of educational facilities for nurses. Such an undertaking is long overdue. I hope An Bord Altranais will immediately select from registered nurses candidates for a degree course. The suggestion that nurses already registered would be allocated places is welcome. Because of their practical skills and their degree of medical knowledge they will be suitable candidates. It was unfortunate that such an opportunity was not open to nurses in the past, many of whom are extremely intelligent women of fantastic ability. Therefore the Minister's recommendation that a degree course be open to them is indeed welcome. In the future I would hope that we might advance one step further, enabling them to undergo a degree course from the beginning of their training. This has been the practice in the United States for some time past and has proved most satisfactory.
The Minister says also that he intends ensuring that there will be full consultation and discussion, involving staff, employer and union representatives before any decisions are taken in the area of the development of staff structures. That is a very wise and sensible approach and its adoption cannot have but optimum results. Knowing the nursing profession to be such a responsible body of people, the union representing them acting responsibly at all times, always giving priority to the interests and care of patients, I have no doubt that this will work out very satisfactorily securing the best possible facilities available within the nursing service generally.
Many Deputies who spoke expressed reservations about the central applications bureau. I was somewhat surprised that they did so. As a public representative I constantly meet people anxious to get into the various hospitals throughout the country for training, many of whom will have applied to perhaps five or six different hospitals, some within the country and some without. The establishment of a central applications bureau should streamline the process considerably, so that candidates could list their preferences in order to be interviewed by various hospitals of their choice, such as the facilities obtaining at present for entry into the various faculties in universities. It should streamline the administrative process while, at the same time, making it easier for prospective applicants and eliminate many of the problems obtaining. The role of the central applications bureau should be an administrative one at the centre, directing applicants to certain hospitals but, in the final analysis, the hospitals themselves should have a large say in the input of prospective candidates for training. It may be necessary that certain recommendations be made to the various hospitals on the type of approach to be adopted in the selection of candidates.
In his introductory remarks the Minister suggested that there be a reduction in the number of training schools from 62 to a maximum of 15, about which I would have some reservations. I can understand the Minister advancing such a suggestion. I am sure there are many inherent advantages — that it would afford candidates a wider range of training and experience because, in a larger training school, there will be available many additional facilities, with different units devoted to different diseases and problems which would be ultimately in the better interests of the prospective student. Over the years we provided very satisfactory training in our various training schools in the private and health board hospitals. I would be against a trimming from 62 to 15 and I hope the Minister, in the course of his reply, will elaborate on that proposal.
Many speakers have suggested that the Minister is taking on extraordinary powers and removing powers from nurses. In fact, some Members went so far as to suggest that he was almost appointing himself as a dictator in regard to the nursing profession. However, I see that proposal in a different light. The Minister is handing over dealings with the nursing profession to nurses. That has been done very effectively in the proposals in regard to Bord Altranais. The Minister proposes increasing the representation on that board to 27, 15 of whom will be qualified nurses. I have no doubt that the other groups with power to nominate representatives to that board will include nurses. When a decision has to be made at board level I do not have any doubt that the nurses will be in control. They will have control over all aspects of the profession whether it concerns education, selection or in-service training.
The Bill is a progressive piece of legislation that will add well-deserved status to the profession. I have often felt that nurses do not get the recognition they deserve. In fact, they are often thought of in an inferior way by doctors, particularly when working in hospitals. To some extent nurses are to blame for this because they did not take a firmer approach when dealing with doctors and adopted a subservient role. We will have to get rid of that approach. I might add that all nurses do not have this type of inferiority complex, but those who have do not do their profession any good. Nurses should be more independent and less subservient to doctors, particularly male doctors, in the hospitals where they work. I am sure the younger nurses are alert enough to ensure that that does not continue.
In regard to the financing of the board a registration fee has been suggested. I understand that there are 25,000 nurses here and I do not think they will object to paying a fee for proper registration. We are all aware that recently a number of doctors were informed that they could no longer practice because they were not properly registered. I am sure that as a result of that occurrence all doctors paid up their registration fees. I do not see any difficulty about that provision. It will mean that nurses will be more independent. This is a progressive and welcome piece of legislation.
