asked the Minister for Health the plans, if any, he has to reactivate the Central Nursing Bureau; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Central Nursing Bureau.
16.
I have no function in relation to the Central Applications Bureau. An Bord Altranais is the statutory authority concerned. However, I fully support a central applications bureau to accept applications and ensure that the candidates have the necessary qualifications. The Central Applications Bureau would then refer them to the hospitals of the applicants' choice. I believe that the training schools should have a major input to the selection of trainees.
Some of the health boards and a large number of the voluntary hospitals including the Mater, Adelaide and St. Vincent's, would not accept An Bord Altranais's decision to make the final selection of trainees. A court action was threatened.
As Minister, I did not wish to see a legal battle involving a State board under my aegis and a voluntary hospital funded totally by taxpayers' money. I attended a meeting of An Bord Altranais and suggested that they allow the training schools to interview the candidates with a representative of An Bord Altranais on the selection board. I made it clear that if the board were dissatisfied with the manner of selection in any individual case I would rigorously investigate it. It is a matter of disappointment to me that An Bord Altranais decided not to accept this compromise and subsequently suspended the operation of the Central Applications Bureau for this year.
Is the Minister aware of the great anger, anguish and disillusionment felt by all members of An Bord Altranais arising from the deliberate siding by the Minister with reactionary elements who wish to perpetuate despotism and favouritism in the selection of these trainee student nurses under the alleged ridiculous compromise proposal put forward by him? In the circumstances will he now review that decision on his part and ask, for example, the Chief Justice, who is involved in one hospital, not to interfere politically with ministerial functions and with the statutory functions of An Bord Altranais under the Nursing Act?
I am not aware of wide dissatisfaction with the decision. On the contrary, the broad consensus that I find is that there is support for my views.
Is the Minister not aware——
This must be a very short question, Deputy. Please get to the nub of your supplementary.
——that the proposal put forward by him of having the individual hospitals decide exclusively with a token one representative from An Bord Altranais present, is insulting to An Bord Altranais, totally contrary to the concept of a central applications bureau and that it involves parents and students trekking from hospital to hospital with letters of reference, with political favouritism, professional favouritism——
The Deputy is embarking on a speech.
In the circumstances let me ask the Minister seriously to review that decision which has not the support of either his Department or——
The Deputy has made his point. He ought now to allow the Minister to reply.
A number of health boards were unhappy with the decision of An Bord Altranais to proceed with the Central Applications Bureau on their terms. I might add that the working party on nursing, who reported in 1980 with a very broad representation on them, at no stage discussed the Central Applications Bureau where nurse trainees would be selected in the same way as students are selected for university. That was never discussed by that body. I suggested to An Bord Altranais that if they were to allow the hospitals to select their own trainees with a representative of An Bord Altranais on the board, if that representative of An Bord Altranais was unhappy with the manner in which the selection was carried out and if they reported to me I would rigorously investigate it.
A final supplementary.
I am calling Question No. 17. I have allowed Deputy Desmond a great deal of latitude.
It is a disgrace with regard to trainee nurses.