Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said he will honour any commitment to pay student nurses for Covid overtime.
Currently, fourth year student nurses get paid €9.48 per hour for clinical placement work, while all others get an accommodation allowance of €50.
However, the Health Minister said he will agree to a pay rise if a report into the matter recommends it.
It comes as pressure mounts from the public to give the young nurses pay for working in hospitals during the pandemic.
And Minister Donnelly said that student nurses could have the extra cash in January.
Local opposition TDs in Donegal including Pearse Doherty, Padraig Mac Lochlainn and Thomas Pringle have backed the nurses’ plight.
Opposition politicians have raised the issue during the Dáil’s most important set piece slot, Leaders’ Questions, for three days in a row.
The Health Minister was responding to Sinn Féin health spokesman, David Cullinane, in the Dáil, who had asked for clarity on the pay issue.
Tags:
