AQW 14682/17-22

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 15/02/2021
Answered On Date: 25/02/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the basis under which final year cardiac and respiratory students are not eligible for the special recognition payment.

Answer:

On 25 January, I announced the payment of a flat rate, one-off special recognition of £2,000 to qualifying students on certain pre-registration healthcare programmes over the period 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021.

The qualifying courses are the Nursing and Midwifery, Allied Health Profession, Social Work and Physician Associate pre-registration programmes commissioned by my Department from Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University.

As cardiac and respiratory students are not on a pre-registration course commissioned by my Department, they cannot qualify for this special recognition payment.