I've been asked by a number of people, including @Deisesupes for the reasoning behind last night's vote on Nurse's Pay. Twitter isn't a great format for detail, but here goes.

The first thing is to acknowledge the enormous and exceptional contribution made by all frontline services, and nurses and midwives in particular, during the Covid-19 crisis. We had a hospital visit recently and saw at first hand the amazing work being done in UHW.

Next, it's important to have read the full text of the motion. It goes well beyond the pay to include travel and accommodation costs, abolition of all fees for frontline workers and the length of the working week. Whether you agree with these goals or not.....

...they are huge commitments and would have knock on consequences for other groups, student guards and teachers among them. This would require far more detailed work than that contained in this motion.

The language earlier in the motion is problematic as well. For instance, the use of the word 'exploitation' here - you may agree or disagree with that, but for the Oireachtas to pass a motion containing that phrase would have consequences.

There have been moves by the government to address some issues around student nurses, including making them eligible for the PUP payment for part-time work lost, and I expect more from the minister in the coming days.

So while the headline message on this motion is simple and black and white, there's a great deal more to it. Everyone wants to do their best by student nurses, myself included, but this motion wasn't the way to do it.