Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 77: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of staff working in her Department; if there are plans to redeploy or offer redundancy or early retirement to any of these staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20459/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Some 522.41 wholetime equivalents were employed in my Department at the 30th April 2009 of which 467.06 work in the core Department.

An Incentivised Scheme of Early Retirement for civil and public servants was introduced by the Department of Finance on 30th April 2009. The details of the scheme are outlined in Department of Finance Circular 12/2009 - Incentivised Scheme of Early Retirement and this Circular is available on the Department of Finance website at www.finance.gov.ie. The purpose of the scheme is to facilitate the permanent, structural reduction in the numbers of staff serving in the civil service, local authorities, health sector and non-commercial state bodies, with associated restructuring of organisation and operations in as timely a manner as possible. The scheme is open to applications from 1st May 2009 until 1 September 2009. In accordance with the terms of the Government moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public service, vacancies arising from the operation of the scheme may not be filled unless specific sanction is given by the Department of Finance. The implementation of the scheme in my Department will need to be managed carefully and a plan to cope with the reduction in numbers will be developed. This will include a review of work activities and processes and consequent changes in the organisation of work and staffing resources.

Further details are awaited from the Department of Finance in relation to plans for the redeployment of staff in the civil and public service. A number of staff have applied to be considered for redeployment on a voluntary basis to the Department of Social and Family Affairs and my Department is also in contact with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in relation to possible redeployment to that Department.