Government scored 'own goal' over student nurses pay, say Fine Gael TDs

The Government scored 'an own goal' for which Fine Gael is 'carrying the can' on pay for student nurses, the party's weekly meeting has heard.

The Government scored "an own goal" for which Fine Gael is "carrying the can" on pay for student nurses, the party's weekly meeting has heard.

A number of TDs expressed their disappointment in how the issue has been portrayed, with Cork North-Central TD Colm Burke saying that the party had taken more of the blame for the issue than its coalition partners and had "carried the can", while Charlie Flanagan said the party had been "hammered" on the issue.

The Government has been slammed for refusing to pay student nurses and midwives the same rate as health care assistants in a vote against a Solidarity-People Before Profit Private Members' Bill.

Dublin Mid-West TD Emer Higgins is understood to have criticised the party's organisation around the issue, saying that the Opposition had used the high level of emotion on the subject and made it political. It is also understood that Ms Higgins raised some concern that decisions on sensitive issues were being driven by civil servants.

Sources said that Dublin Bay South TD Richard Bruton said that plans should be drawn up to ensure that parliamentary party members are more up to speed on motions such as on nurses' pay. 

'Mean'

Dublin South-West TD Colm Brophy is understood to have said that the party's messaging on the issue had become lost to the point where even members believed what had happened was "mean".

The meeting heard much on Brexit, with TDs asking questions about the state of play of negotiations.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the deal agreed with former British prime minister Theresa May three years ago had proved to be "bulletproof". He said that there will be no hard border on the island of Ireland and access to the European single market and common travel areas have been protected, key priorities at the outset of talks.

The Fine Gael leader told party colleagues that the country has "got this far because of EU solidarity and unity".

He said the Brexit negotiations continue but there may not be a breakthrough tonight. The meeting heard the EU-UK future trade agreement "hangs in the balance".

Regarding the rollout of Covid vaccines, Mr Varadkar said the European Medicines Agency will make its approval by December 29 or maybe sooner.