Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

Most of the staff who are retiring early are close to their retirement date. The Ministers for Health and Public Expenditure and Reform have indicated that there may be a need to exercise flexibility in a limited number of cases to allow retiring staff to stay on a little longer. The Government made such a decision in the case of the Director of the Office of Corporate Enforcement, for example. Allowing some flexibility, as in the case of teachers teaching examination classes, makes good management sense when the number of staff who will take the retirement option is completely unpredictable.

The House debated the HSE service plan last week. The Bill is due to be brought before the Dáil in this session.

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