Vol. 534 No. 1
50 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has established a working group to consider the payment of an allowance to nurses working in the Dublin area; the terms of reference of any such working group; when such a group will report back to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9345/01]
The membership of a working group to examine the recruitment and retention of nursing staff in the Dublin area has been finalised, but plans to convene a meeting of the working group have been disrupted by the outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
This working group is composed of representatives of health service employers and the nursing unions. Its terms of reference are "to examine factors affecting the recruitment and retention of nursing and midwifery staff in the Dublin area, and to recommend innovative ways in which the situation might be improved".
The remit of the working group does not extend to examining nurses' pay or allowances. It has been made clear to the nominating bodies that the appropriate forum for dealing with such matters is the benchmarking body established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.
