Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

Some 53 of the 60 additional posts for 2011 requested under the Ryan report implementation plan have been filled or accepted, with the remainder being offered.

The Deputy is incorrect in his claim that there has been a decrease in the number of social workers working with children and families. On the contrary, there has already been an increase of 24 this year within that area, and now we will have the additional 60. That amounts to 84 additional posts in the child and family protection area. The Deputy should recognise that the 60 social workers will be in place. The money is there and the posts have not been affected by the recruitment embargo. Those 60 social workers will be working in the HSE in the course of 2012. That is the situation and there is nothing unclear about it. I have made absolutely clear that the funding has been made available for those 60 posts and that they will be in place. Moreover, an additional 24 are already working in the system.

As the Deputy knows, to maintain numbers within the public sector generally in the current economic circumstances is extremely difficult. As such, these additional posts represent important progress. The staff in question have a very challenging workload to undertake. The Deputy should acknowledge that the 60 social workers will be in place.

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