Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of people who left the public service under the Health Service Executive voluntary early retirement scheme; the cost of payments to those who left the public service under the HSE VER scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39455/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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In his Supplementary Budget Statement of 7 April 2009, the Minister for Finance announced that he would make available three schemes to reduce the number of public sector employees in the wider public sector. The Minister for Finance stated that at that time that the Incentivised Scheme of Early Retirement would be the only scheme providing for early retirement in the public sector. Therefore my Department issued a suite of three circulars to the HSE on 15 May 2009 to give effect to this measure in the public health sector; the Incentivised Scheme for Early Retirement (8/2009); the Incentivised Career Break Scheme (Circular 9/2009) and the Shorter Working Year (10/2009).

The purpose of these circulars is to facilitate a permanent, structural reduction in the numbers of staff employed, along with an associated restructuring of organisation and operations, in as timely a manner as possible and in line with the 2009 Employment Control Framework for the Public Health Sector. While the reduction in numbers achieved under these schemes is intended to contribute significant and ongoing savings to the Exchequer, this must be done in a way that does not undermine essential service provision.

The schemes do not apply to grades exempted from the moratorium on recruitment and promotions under the 2009 Employment Control Framework for the Public Health Sector. Members of all other grades who meet the eligibility criteria will have access to these schemes, provided the grades/staff groups concerned cooperate with the requirements in relation to redeployment, mobility, skill mix and flexibility which are outlined in the employment control framework: this is designed to allow individuals to avail of the schemes while still protecting services. Because staff who retire under the schemes will not be replaced (save in very exceptional cases), employers must pay particular attention, when considering applications, to the scope that exists within the organisation for reorganising and restructuring work in order to minimise the impact on essential service delivery. Staff cooperation and flexibility in that regard is essential.

My Department was informed that the health service trade unions issued a directive instructing their members not to cooperate with redeployment and reassignment requests from management. The unions have stated their opposition to the moratorium on recruitment and promotions as set out in 2009 Employment Control Framework for the Public Health Sector, referred to above. This instruction from the unions severely restricts the ability of management to organise/restructure work practice and contravenes the qualification criteria for the scheme. As a result, the HSE has suspended all three schemes on 18 June and the suspension remains in place. One person in the public health sector had been approved to exit the system by that date and cost of the 10% lump sum paid was €2307 with an annual pension payable of €11.102 per annum.

I understand that applications continued to be accepted by the relevant employer up to the closing date of 23rd October pending resolution of the outstanding industrial relations issues. I have been informed that the HSE has had discussions with the health service unions regarding its policy on redeployment/reassignment and these discussions are ongoing.