Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she has met with the Department of Health to discuss the number of social workers employed by the Health Service Executive; the number of social workers employed by the HSE; the number of vacant social worker posts in the HSE; the locations of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19888/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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My Department is continuing to work closely with the Department of Health on a range of issues including the monitoring of employment control issues relating to the provision of children and family services by the HSE under the National Service Plan. The HSE compiles a census of health employment in the public sector. This census is currently produced on a monthly basis and the latest data available is for May 2011. The employment census for May 2011 indicates a total of 2,447 whole time equivalent social workers, including those working directly with children and family services, broken down as follows:

Social worker: 1321

Social Worker (Medical) 122

Social Worker (non-professionally qualified) 43

Social Worker, Principal 228

Social Worker, Psychiatric 32

Social Worker, Psychiatric Senior 1

Social Worker, Senior Medical 167

Social Worker, Team Leader 394

Social Work Practitioner. Senior 139

My Department has requested the HSE to compile the information requested with regard to social work vacancies and to reply directly to the Deputy.