Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 48: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of new consultants appointed to date in 2009; the number of such posts that have been advertised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13084/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Service Executive (HSE) approved a total of 283 medical consultant posts from April to December 2008. Of these, 156 are new posts and 127 are replacement posts. The Executive has approved a further 43 posts to date in 2009: 27 of these are new posts and 16 are replacement posts. The Public Appointments Service provides recruitment, assessment and selection services for the HSE National Hospitals Office. The Public Appointments Service advertised 195 (194.5 wte) consultant posts for the National Hospitals Office between April 2008 and March 2009. A total of 48 consultants have been appointed, and 34 consultants have taken up post since April 2008: 27 in 2009 and seven in 2008. A further 14 consultants have been issued with contracts with start dates after 26 March 2009.

The creation and funding of further consultant posts will be driven by service priorities, as reflected in the HSE's Annual Service Plan, and the policy of achieving a better balance between the numbers of consultants and non-consultant hospital doctors. There is to be a significant reduction in the number of Non Consultant Hospital Doctors (NCHDs) employed in each of the years 2009, 2010 and 2011. This would generate savings that would be used to fund the recruitment of additional consultants. Government policy is to have a consultant delivered, rather than a consultant-led service. The new contract is designed to support this and, as in many areas of our health services, service improvements will depend to a much greater extent on mobilising and re-configuring existing resources than on additional funds.