John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 132: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of persons working in the health service; the division of same broken down into the main categories of workers, for example, doctors, nurses, paramedics, administrators and maintenance; if similar figures will be provided for every year or a selected number of years over the past 20 years; if data will be provided for the number of public hospital beds; the trend in same over recent years; the basis of the requirement; if it is one bed per specific number of population, and if the number of beds has been increased due to the population increase of 1 million from 1971 to 2002. [17920/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The information requested by the Deputy on health service staff is set out in the following table for the years 1990 to the end of 2004. Comparable data for previous years is not available. The significantly increased staffing levels over this period must be viewed in the context of the substantial service developments which have occurred, particularly in the areas of child protection and intellectual disability services. There have also been significant increases in staffing levels in acute hospitals arising from the national cancer strategy and the cardiovascular strategy.

As regards bed capacity, the number of inpatient beds decreased from 17,665 in 1980 to 11,862 in 2000. Approximately 4,000 inpatient beds were removed from the system between 1984 and 1988. A further 2,000 were removed between 1991 and 1993. In 2001 my Department carried out a detailed study of acute hospital bed requirements up to 2011 and published Acute Hospitals Bed Capacity — a National Review in January 2002. The study examined current bed capacity and activity in acute hospitals and developed a framework for estimating future acute hospital capacity requirements. The study took account of current service pressures, projected increases in total population, the rise in the number of older people, increasing demand for services and potential changes in clinical practice. It also highlighted the need to expand hospital services for public patients.

In the health strategy the Government committed itself to improve access for public patients. This is to be achieved through a series of measures, including the provision of additional public hospital inpatient beds and day places. Since the publication of the health strategy, funding has been provided to open an additional 900 inpatient beds and day places in acute hospitals throughout the country. Of this figure, 720 are in place and the remainder will come on stream before the end of 2005.

In 2004 the average number of inpatient beds and day places available in public acute hospitals was 13,409 — source: Department of Health and Children — Integrated Management Returns 2004.