Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 179: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will prevail upon the Health Service Executive to release the ban on staff recruitment to ensure that critical front-line staff positions such as the already funded suicide prevention nurse for Tallaght Hospital, can be filled as a matter of urgency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27139/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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There are currently over 2,700 whole time equivalent staff employed in Tallaght Hospital. It is a matter for the hospital administration to decide on the allocation of staff to particular services.

Almost 130,000 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 health care 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 health care needs of the population into the future.

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.

The Deputy may wish to note that the current recruitment pause is a temporary measure initiated as part of the HSE financial break-even plan and will be reviewed at the end of this month. The HSE recognises that there are some critical or exceptional circumstances where appointment of staff may be necessary in front-line services. Accordingly a process has been put in place to evaluate, monitor and approve requests for derogation from the general recruitment pause. A group has been established and is meeting weekly to consider such applications.