Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I will be taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children. I thank Deputies Terence Flanagan and Reilly for raising this matter and am pleased to take this opportunity to outline the position in respect of St. Joseph's Intellectual Disability Services, which are located on the campus of St. Ita's Hospital, Portrane, County Dublin.

As the Deputies are aware, the construction and equipping of a new 60-bed residential development, comprising ten bungalows and a day resource centre for clients of St. Joseph's Intellectual Disabilities Services, is complete. This development, Knockamann, was handed over to the HSE in July 2009. It forms a crucial part in progressing national policy in effecting the transfer of clients with intellectual disabilities who currently are in psychiatric hospitals to more appropriate accommodation. It is the intention of the HSE to commission the entire development, that is, the residential bungalows and the day resource centre, as soon as possible. However, additional staff of various grades would be required to do so. This must be achieved in line with the HSE's national service plan for 2010 and with the various Government directives on recruitment and promotion within the public service.

In order to implement savings measures on public service numbers, the Government decided that with effect from 27 March 2009 to the end of 2010, no post in the public sector, however arising, may be filled by recruitment, promotion or payment of an allowance for the performance of duties at a higher grade. The decision applies to all grades of permanent and temporary staff, including nursing, notwithstanding a number of specific exemptions. The Government decision was modulated to ensure that key services are maintained in so far as possible in health services, particularly in respect of children at risk, older people and persons with a disability. A business case was submitted by the HSE to the Department of Health and Children in November 2009 on the staffing of the Knockamann development. As nursing staff are not a derogated grade under the current moratorium on recruitment and the public services, specific sanction is required to fill the posts needed to open the development. Having considered the business case, the Department of Health and Children requested some supplementary information, particularly on the skill mix of the posts that were required. It is anticipated that this will be forwarded to the Department shortly.

Any resolution of this matter must be achieved in the context of vacancies arising elsewhere in the health services and within the overall context of the employment control framework of the HSE. I wish to assure the Deputies that the Department is working closely with the HSE to endeavour to resolve the matter within the resources available at this time.

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