James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

As a step toward achieving this goal, I will bring legislation forward involving significant changes in the governance of the HSE. The legislation will abolish the board of the HSE and will replace the board structure with a directorate structure. The purpose of the new directorate structure is to drive greater transparency, accountability and efficiency, and to reshape the system to better support the Government's health reform programme.

The following seven areas will be the subject of a directorship: - hospital care, primary care, mental health, children and family services, social care, public health and corporate/shared services. One of the directors will be appointed as the Director General. The directorate team will run the health services as they exist and prepare for the transformation required in the move to UHI.

The new structure is intended to provide clarity as to the responsibility for the delivery of the services under each director, as well as greater financial transparency and accountability in those services.

Given the very challenging situation the health service faces in 2012 and future years, strong management capacity is needed to improve performance, to deliver on service targets in an effective and efficient way within available resources and to lead change in a complex environment. The changes I have announced are intended to improve the management of the service. In view of the nature and scale of the changes proposed, it is not possible at this stage to say whether there will be a reduction in the number of senior managers being paid salaries of more than €100,000.

It is envisaged that the directorate posts will be filled on an accelerated basis in accordance with the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004. The remuneration for these positions will be in accordance with Government policy and will be subject to the approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The following seven areas will be the subject of a directorship: hospital care; primary care; mental health; children and family services; social care; public health; and corporate-shared services. One of the directors will be appointed as the director general. The directorate team will run the health services as they exist and prepare for the transformation required in the move to universal health insurance.

The new structure is intended to provide clarity as to the responsibility for the delivery of the services under each director, as well as greater financial transparency and accountability in those services. Given the very challenging situation that the health service faces in 2012 and future years, strong management capacity is needed to improve performance, to deliver on service targets in an effective and efficient way within available resources, and to lead change in a complex environment. The changes I have announced are intended to improve the management of the service. In view of the nature and scale of the changes proposed, it is not possible at this stage to say whether there will be a reduction in the number of senior managers being paid salaries of more than €100,000.

It is envisaged that the directorate posts will be filled on an accelerated basis in accordance with the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004. The remuneration for these positions will be in accordance with Government policy and will be subject to the approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

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