I thank all the nurses around the country on this day, International Nurses Day. It is only fit and right that we start our speeches in here by saying "Thank you", not just as a formality or a generic line in a speech but as a meaningful and heartfelt one. All of us in here have experienced healthcare at various stages of our lives or with our family members, and nurses have always been there to help us along those sometimes most treasured moments in our lives but sometimes the most difficult moments in our lives as well. If you think about it, the first hands that would have touched many of us in this world have been those of a nurse or a midwife. When we were frightened in hospital as children, it was a nurse who sat with us. When our parents or grandparents were at their most vulnerable, confused, in pain, afraid, it was a nurse who often stayed with us, who explained things gently, who held a hand when no family member could be there, who made a cold, clinical environment feel somehow human. There is no qualification in the world that teaches you how to do that; that comes from something deeper, from the character of every one of those nurses and from genuine compassion. Irish nurses have that in abundance. The INMO represents over 42,000 nurses and midwives across the island, 42,000 people who made a deliberate choice to dedicate their working lives to the care of others, who sat their exams, completed their training, put on their uniform for the first time and decided that this was how they wanted to spend their days. That decision deserves to be celebrated loudly and genuinely here today. Irish nursing also carries a history to be enormously proud of. For generations Irish nurses have been regarded as among the finest in the world, sought after, respected and trusted in every corner of the globe. Their reputation was not handed to them; it was built ward by ward, shift by shift by the women and men who gave everything to their patients and to their profession. We stand on the shoulders of that tradition today and we should acknowledge it with pride. The dedication continues. Right now, there are nurses in Cork, Munster and every county across the country who are on their feet doing what they do quietly, expertly, without fanfare. They are not looking for applause - they never have been - but they deserve it all the same. Celebrating our nurses means asking ourselves an honest question: are we doing enough to make Ireland a place where they want to stay, where they feel valued enough to build their whole career, their whole life, right here at home? The truth is that Irish nurses are wanted everywhere: Australia wants them, Canada wants them, the Middle East wants them. Who could blame any country for wanting the best? However, we want them here also and we need them here. More than that, they belong here, in the hospitals and communities they grew up in, caring for the people they know, building something lasting in the country that shaped them. It is worrying that Ireland has the highest proportion of foreign-trained nurses in the entire OECD, 51.8%, more than twice the level of the second highest country. That is not a badge of honour; it is a warning sign flashing red for all of us, so we need to take heed. The INMO has told us that there are currently 5,000 nurse and midwife vacancies across the country. That is not just a number on a page; it is 5,000 opportunities for Irish nurses to come home, to step in and to be part of rebuilding something, and it is 5,000 reasons why we must make Ireland as attractive as possible for nurses to stay and to return. That is why we should be making Ireland the best place in the world for an Irish nurse to build their career. We should be investing in pay that properly reflects the responsibility nurses carry every day. A staff nurse starts on €37,288. We need to keep building on that year on year until the gap between what Ireland offers and what other countries offer is no longer a reason for anyone to leave. We should be moving urgently towards safe staffing legislation and real enforceable ratios in order that every nurse can finish their shift knowing they gave the standard of care they trained so hard to deliver. We should be providing genuine career progression in order that nurses qualifying today can look ahead and see a future here that is fulfilling, sustainable and rewarding. We should be making the choice easy. Right now, for too many nurses, it is not easy enough. We want the young people who are considering nursing as a career to choose it with confidence. We want newly qualified nurses to look around and see a country that has their back. We want the experienced nurses who have given years of service to feel their dedication is truly seen and truly valued. Ireland is blessed with nurses who are second to none. We should make sure Ireland is a country that is second to none in the way it looks after them.

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