Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald has accused Taoiseach Mícheál Martin of purposely allocating money to "those at the top" while student nurses go unpaid. 

Deputy McDonald told Mr Martin that the situation was 'shameful' during today Leader's Questions.

It comes after Cabinet's decision to reverse pension cuts to retired Taoisigh, ministers and civil servants who were in office during the financial crash.

The Taoiseach rejected McDonald’s claims that the Government was looking after the “great and the good”.

He stated that the restoration of pay and pension cuts to ministers, judges and former Taoisigh had been delayed for "as long as legally possible".

Reverse pension cuts

The pay increase – following a Cabinet decision yesterday – would see judges receive a 2% pay increase, in line with a 2% increase for all public servants that came into effect on October 1st.

The legislation was passed in 2017 to reverse the financial emergency cuts made during the crash and, according to the Taoiseach, this had to be done by the end of this year.

Sinn Féin has said that it will not accept larger allowances for party whips, which were also signed off on yesterday.

Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy McDonald said: “It is always straightforward to cough up for those at the top.”

It follows the Government's recent rejection of a motion to pay student nurses.

However, Martin said it suited the Sinn Féin leader to “distort the truth” about the reversal of the cuts to pay and pensions during the recession.

He has also said he believes that the debate regarding student nurses and midwives pay has been "politicised", and opposition parties are "guilty of short-termism".

Today in the Dáil, he said that paying student nurses now would be akin to "drifting back" to the apprenticeship model of nurse training, as opposed to the current "degree model".

In response, Deputy McDonald said that the real work of student nurses and midwives should be recognised and rewarded, and "the professionalisation of nursing cannot result in the pauperisation of student nurses and midwives".

Final insult

Echoing the Sinn Féin leader was People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett, who today accused the Taoiseach of "insulting" student nurses by "refusing to pay them" for working in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deputy Boyd Barrett insisted that pension increase was the "final insult", citing the move as "simply shocking" and "beyond belief".

He contended that if the deputy wanted to go back to the "apprenticeship model" it would be a "retrograde step."

Mr Martin contended the Government "had no legal option" but to sign off on the deal because it was "the longest you can put it off".

He appealed for the People Before Profit TD to show "a bit of honesty" rather than always playing "the divisive card".