Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 124: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number employed in the health services in 2004 and to date in 2005 and the way in which that has grown since 1997; the way in which these numbers are distributed between programmes, general hospital, long-stay facilities, disability, mental health, community health, doctors, nurses, paramedics and so on and administrative back up. [18898/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The quarterly health service personnel return collects employment information solely on the basis of grade and employing agency and does not include any data on a programme by programme basis as requested by the Deputy.

The latest available data is in respect of year end 2004. Between 1997 and year end 2004, there was an increase in the level of employment of 30,882, or 45.5%, excluding home helps, in whole-time equivalent terms. In this context, comparing employment levels at end-December 2004 to those at end-1997, there were 40.9%, 2,037, more medical and dental personnel, 116%, +6,892, more health and social care professionals and 25.5%, 6,967, more nurses employed in the health services in whole-time equivalent, WTE, terms. Employment growth in each of the grade categories of health service staff in the health board, voluntary hospital and intellectual disability sectors respectively is set out in the following table for the period requested by the Deputy. Caution should be exercised in comparing employment growth between grade categories, however, owing to some changes in their composition over the period.

As far as the balance between front line and administrative staff is concerned, almost two-thirds of health services personnel formally classified as management or administrative are involved in direct service provision to the public.