Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 660: To ask the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No. 98 of 23 March 2006, if she will ensure that an agreement between the Health Service Executive and SIPTU to abolish zero hour contracts for home helps is implemented in full; the steps she is taking to ensure that the Health Service Executive complies with the Conditions of Employment Act 1944 and the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 when employing home helps; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1175/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Over 120,000 people work full-time or part-time in our public health services. In recent years, the Government's ongoing high level of investment in health has achieved and maintained significant increases in the numbers of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals employed in the public health services. The Government has also invested heavily in the education and training of such personnel in order to secure a good supply of graduates to provide for the healthcare needs of the population into the future.

My Department does not set employment quotas at national level for any grade in the public health service. Subject to overall parameters set by Government, the Health Service Executive has the responsibility for determining the composition of its staffing complement. In that regard, it is a matter for the Executive to manage and deploy its human resources to best meet the requirements of its Annual Service Plan for the delivery of health and personal social services to the public. The Executive is the appropriate body to consider the matter raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.