Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 96: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the total number of personnel now employed in the delivery of the health services; the number of consultants, medical staff, nursing staff and others; the extent to which these numbers have been increased in each category in the past eight years; the extent to which delivery of service is currently failing to meet demand; her proposals to address the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20927/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 310: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the extent to which personnel in the health services have increased in the past seven years; the number of orthodontists or other front line health workers employed in the same period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21283/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 311: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of persons currently employed in the health service at consultant, medical, nursing and administration levels; the number of persons on contract in each discipline; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21284/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 96, 310 and 311 together.

The latest available employment data for the health services is in respect of year end 2004. The information requested by the Deputy on health service staff, including employment growth in each of the grade categories from end 1997 up to that date, is set out in the table below. However, some caution should be exercised in comparing employment growth between grade categories owing to some changes in their composition over the period.

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 wholetime equivalent terms. In this context, comparing employment levels at end-December 2004 to those at end-1997, there were 40.9% — plus 2,037 — more medical-dental personnel, 116% — plus 6,892 — more health and social care professionals and 25.5% — plus 6,967 — more nurses employed in the health services in wholetime equivalent, WTE, terms.

The health service employment return does not gather information on the number of staff employed in the health services on a contract basis. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

The significantly increased staffing levels over the last eight years reflect 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. Resources must be targeted where most required and I have consistently stressed that, in the management of health service employment levels, front-line service delivery must be safeguarded.