Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 255: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if there are social workers with responsibility for the elderly; if so the breakdown of the number involved per county or per region; and the exact functions of same. [2782/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Employment information collected by my Department relates to grades and employing authority rather than to specific areas of responsibility for individual staff. The most recent information shows that the number of social workers employed in the public health service increased by 897 to 2061 or 77% in whole-time equivalent terms between 31 December 1997 and 30 September 2005. The table below shows a breakdown of these figures by Health Service Executive area at end September 2005.

As the detailed information requested by the Deputy relates to the management of human resources which is a matter for the Health ServiceExecutive under the Health Act 2004, the executive's parliamentary affairs division has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy in this regard.