There are pay increases for judges, pension cuts reversed for ex-taoisigh and 4,000 top civil servants but still no pay for student nurses and midwives. I agree with the Fianna Fáil Deputy for Cork East who stated yesterday that this may do lasting damage to his party.

The Taoiseach spoke firmly earlier against paying student nurses but the point is student nurses are working in our hospitals. They will tell him that themselves. Does he doubt them? Even if they were in an apprentice-type arrangement, as he says he would like to see the situation, they would still be on the front line risking their health with the Covid situation and would deserve something in return for that.

The Taoiseach did not comment on two suggestions put forward by Solidarity-PPP Deputies and by the student nurses themselves, that, as a token of appreciation for putting themselves in harm's way and the work they have done, their student fees would be waived or that a generous bursary could be granted to them. I would like if he could address those points in his reply.

I am of the view that the Deputy's party are opportunistic propagandists and it is all about distorting the truth. In 2016, the Deputy wanted to reverse the financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI, in their entirety. The higher earners and pensioners, that the Deputy is giving out about now, would have had their cuts reversed back in 2016 if he had his way. That is the truth.

In relation to nursing students, I do not believe the apprenticeship model is the correct model. I brought in the nursing degree programme in 2002 to professionalise and drag nurse education into the 21st century. That was the whole purpose of it. The entire nursing community, from trade unions in nursing right through to the education sector, and across the board, at the time wanted that. In subsequent years, it has been a basis for seeking pay increases as well.

The point I am making is I do not believe in going back to an apprenticeship model. I am open to reviewing that. If people want to go back to an apprenticeship model, we live in a democracy. I do not think it would be right for nursing or the nursing profession.

The Deputy seems to think it is okay for people to have to do menial tasks whilst they are meant to be learning in terms of the education programme. That is wrong.

I thank the Taoiseach. I am going to move on.

One should not be tolerating exploitation of student nurses.

We must move on.

Finally, we are committed to reviewing the allowances, and increasing the allowances, and in terms of the pay student nurses get in fourth year, to increasing that as well.