James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 231: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if funding has been provided and allocated to the Health Information and Quality Authority to recruit 48 inspectors to inspect nursing homes as per the nursing homes standards published on 9 March 2009; the amount of funding that has been allocated for the 48 posts; the number of new posts being created excluding the transfer of existing inspectors from the HSE; when the staff will be in place; when inspections of existing nursing homes will commence; the length of time it will take to inspect the nursing home stock here with the level of inspectors indicated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10863/09]

Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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The Health Information and Quality Authority has been allocated €14.1million from my Department's vote in 2009. Fee income which will arise from the nursing home registration and inspection regime in the current year is estimated at €4.6 million which, together with other income will give the Authority a total operating budget of approximately €19.0 million in 2009. The costs of operating the nursing home registration and inspection regime were taken into account when the Authority's allocation was decided. My Department is currently examining the Authority's Business Plan for 2009 which sets out the operating costs of each major function.

I have given approval to the Authority to recruit up to 14 inspectorate staff by way of transfer from HSE and 35 through open competitions. The Authority has commenced the recruitment of 49 Social Services Inspectorate staff. It is anticipated that this process will run until August 2009, with the majority of inspectors in post June — July 2009. The process of the registration and inspection of nursing homes will commence from July 1st 2009, with the full roll-out of the process occurring from autumn 2009 to allow time for the appropriate training of incoming inspectors and support staff. The Authority will conduct a risk assessment of all facilities (public and private) and then schedule its inspections accordingly. As provided for under the Health Act 2007, all designated centres will be registered within three years of the commencement of the registration and inspection process.