Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Complements of staff and existing approved ceilings of staff are decided at the beginning of each year across the health service and the public sector. The HSE must work within the figures but it decides how this will be broken down in its budgets under the normal headings of consultants, junior doctors, nurses and allied staff, paramedical staff and administrative and catering staff. The figure for last year in the Health Service Executive was 108,000 whole-time equivalents. There were no cutbacks in the health service. The staff were sanctioned subject to certain conditions, as happens in every sector, across Departments and local authorities. Last year there was an increase of 10,000 on the existing approved ceiling and this year is the same. The health sector is substantially over expenditure for the first half of the year across most sub-headings. Perhaps the HSE is operating what it calls a reduction on what it has allowed to be approved but it is certainly not under the ceiling. At the end of 2006, the ceiling was 108,000 whole-time equivalents. That represents an increase of 10,450 staff over the existing approved ceiling. This year is running at the same level. There are no cutbacks in the Department of Health and Children. The Department has conveyed sanction for a revised employment ceiling, which it does every year, but it certainly is not showing any reduction; it is showing a substantial increase.

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