The Health Minister says he will be delighted for his "department" to meet with the SIPTU trade union over the graduate nurses programme that plans for 1,000 nurses to be hired at 80% of the previous starting salary.

The union had earlier written to James Reilly seeking a meeting with him, stating they wanted to "discuss alternative proposals for savings in the health sector and the ending of the graduate nursing programme."

Union: Savings could be made through direct employment

SIPTU says that the necessary savings could be made through direct employment if the Health Service Executive (HSE) was not spending money unnecessarily on agency fees.

"The current HSE expenditure on agency nurses is in the region of €90 million and we estimate that this can be reduced by over 20% if nurses were directly employed", according to SIPTU sector organiser, Kevin Figgis.

Minister Reilly says he is open to have his "department" meet with SIPTU to see their proposals but was adamant that the graduate nursing programme can deliver better jobs for nursing, including having them prescribe drugs.

"I expect real values to be added to these programmes by the nurses that engage with them", stated Minister Reilly.

The programme has seen only a few dozen applications despite there being 1,000 vacancies on offer after unions insisted members should not apply for the jobs.

Minister Reilly today respond to SIPTU's call for a meeting to find the savings elsewhere and to end the graduate nursing programme.