Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 215: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the Health Service Executive recruitment freeze is preventing the HSE in Limerick from progressing the introduction of an under 18 multi-disciplinary team, which was approved under the 2007 HSE corporate plan, to provide child-centred, comprehensive treatment to young people presenting with serious drug problems; her views on whether the delay and failure to recruit staff for this essential service is unacceptable; and if she will take steps to rectify the situation and to ensure the development of the service without further delay. [10214/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The recruitment pause put in place in September 2007 was initiated as part of the HSE financial break-even plan to facilitate the delivery of services on budget in accordance with the provisions of the 2007 National Service Plan. This temporary pause in recruitment ended on 31st December 2007 and any posts falling vacant from 1st January 2008 can be filled subject to the provisions of a detailed employment control circular issued by the HSE on January 8th.

During this recruitment pause, the HSE put in place a derogation process to deal with the filling of essential posts to protect front-line services and close to 900 posts were approved under this process. It is very important that measures are in place in 2008 to avoid a repetition of the problems encountered in 2007. In my letter to the Chairman of the HSE approving the 2008 National Service Plan, I have emphasised that the evident links between the Voted allocation, approved employment levels and service activity — within the HSE itself and in HSE funded agencies such as the major voluntary hospitals — need to be planned and actively managed from the very start of the year with appropriate action being taken in the event of any divergence from profile. It is only through this integrated and managed approach that the HSE will be able to ensure that resources for services (including staffing) are directed as intended by Government. The Government has made it clear that public health and social services must be managed within the funds provided by the Oireachtas and achieve at a minimum the service activity specified in the HSE's annual National Service Plan.

Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services (including human resource management issues) was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issue 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.