My question to the Taoiseach relates to the nursing recruitment fair in the RDS yesterday and the presence there of executives from recruitment agencies for nurses in Britain, the USA and elsewhere. Significant incentives have been offered to Irish-trained nurses and foreign-trained nurses within the Irish hospital system to leave the system and take up positions in hospitals and groups of hospitals in Britain and the USA. When we examine the incentives being offered, we can see very well the difficult choices many involved in nursing must make. This is at a time when we already have a shortage of some 700 nurses within our acute hospital services.

Does the Taoiseach recognise that we have already lost some 500 of the 5,000 overseas recruited nurses from our hospital system due to the incentives being offered overseas and the failure of our service to provide a sufficiently attractive package to anchor their presence? Does the Taoiseach accept that last week's announcement by the Tánaiste of the right of spouses of overseas-trained nurses in our service to secure work permits was too little, too late? Does he accept that short-term contracts of between two and three months are insufficient to attract nurses into the system as they do not offer fixity of service? These contracts are ridiculous given that we expect there will be no new nurses moving from Irish training colleges into the service in 2005. Given all of that, what measures does the Taoiseach propose to introduce to address the crisis in nursing in our hospitals today?

While the Deputy may think nursing fairs began this year, they have been taking place to attract our nurses out of the country over the 30 years during which I have had dealings with the health service. In the intervening years, particularly during the last decade, the change has been that many nurses from abroad have come to Ireland. In one major Dublin hospital, people of 29 different nationalities are represented on the nursing staff alone, not to mention other staff. In the last five years, the number of nursing training places has increased by 70%. It now stands at almost 1,700 per annum. Almost 20,000 new nurses have been registered by An Bord Altranais in the last five years while the number of nurses working in the health service has increased by 25% in the same period. There are now almost 34,000 whole-time equivalent nurses.

A recent survey by the HSEA indicates that the level of nursing vacancies nationally is almost 2%. This shortfall is more than adequately compensated for through overtime and the use of agency nurses. The arrangements for agency nurses are more liberal than at any time previously. A recent Department of Health and Children survey indicates that the level of pay for nurses compares very favourably with that in other EU countries and is far better than in most. When rates of income tax and social security are taken into account, our levels of nursing pay are at the higher end of the scale.

Foreign nurses have the same opportunities for advancement as other nurses working in the health service. All employers have anti-racism policies which apply to staff and patients. I do not consider the Tánaiste's move last week to have come too early or too late. The measure was introduced at the right time. It was a considerable move for us to allow the spouses of non-EEA nurses to work here. The provision does not exist in most other European countries, but it is the right way to ensure we do not have too much turnover in our nursing staff. We must continue to make nursing an attractive profession. It is highly respected. We have succeeded in this regard through our payment rates, conditions and training and education rates over the last few years.

The Taoiseach's response will be a matter of great concern to many in nursing and to those of us dependent on the hospital services. The Taoiseach does not seem to recognise that we have a real crisis in terms of nursing provision in our acute hospital services. Does the Taoiseach not recognise that apart from the threat to the continuing service of overseas nurses, there is a great need to embark on the recruitment of nurses from within this country? We need to proactively encourage young people to view nursing as an attractive career. Is it not the case that pay and conditions are central to pointing up the attractiveness of this career and profession?

Will the Taoiseach outline the measures he is prepared to support and encourage to meet the serious shortfall in the current year and in terms of future planning? As I have already said, no new nurses will come through the State's system in 2005. There is a bounden need to create further places for training on the nursing degree courses and through the acute hospital services system itself. There is a crisis and we want to know if the Taoiseach knows about it and what he is prepared to do to address it.

The Deputy is not listening.

It is not I who is not listening.

The number of training and university places has increased by 70% and now stands at an all-time high. We have more universities becoming involved in the academic side of nursing, which is to be welcomed and which is supported strongly by the Minister for Health and Children. Beds which were closed have been opened which has increased pressure to recruit staff.

Nursing is a mobile profession. People work in different countries and continents where their degrees are accepted and respected. We are continually trying to improve conditions here. We are continually trying to implement the nursing action plan in all its respects. It is based on a fine report of some years ago and we continue to implement it incrementally year after year. We must keep the number of places up and ensure we have good-quality, well-educated student nurses and postgraduates. We will continue to do that. The number of whole-time equivalent nursing places stands at almost 34,000.