Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 258: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of staff on career breaks from the Health Service Executive and from her Department; the average length of career break; the number that have applied to return from their career break but for whom no position was available; the number of staff on career breaks that have been waiting for an appropriate position to become available which would allow them to return from their career break for less than one month, less than three months, less than six months and six months or more; the number of staff that have availed of the incentivised career break scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3076/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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The number of staff on a career break in the public health service at 30 November 2009 (latest data available) was 1,738 in whole time equivalent terms (WTEs). The remaining information requested regarding the average length of career breaks, and the numbers of staff who have applied to return but are currently waiting for an appropriate position to become available, is a matter for the Health Service Executive. As a result, this part of the question has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

With regards to the Incentivised Career Break Scheme, my Department issued a suite of three circulars to the HSE on 15 May 2009, which provided for the Incentivised Scheme for Early Retirement (8/2009), the Incentivised Career Break Scheme (Circular 9/2009) and the Shorter Working Year (10/2009), as announced by the Minister for Finance in his Supplementary Budget Statement of 7 April 2009.

The purpose of these circulars was 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 was intended to contribute significant and ongoing savings to the Exchequer, this had to be done in a way that does not undermine essential service provision.

The schemes did not apply to grades exempted from the moratorium on recruitment and promotions under the 2009 Employment Control Framework for the Public Health Sector (Medical Consultants, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Clinical Psychologists, Behaviour Therapists, Counsellors, Social Workers, and Emergency Medical Technicians). This was in order to meet the requirements of integrated health care delivery and, in particular, to address needs in the community in respect of care of the elderly and people with disabilities.

Members of all other grades, who meet the eligibility criteria, had access to these schemes, provided the grades/staff groups concerned cooperated with the requirements in relation to redeployment, mobility, skill mix and flexibility which are outlined in the employment control framework: this was designed to allow individuals to avail of the schemes while still protecting services. Because staff who retired under the schemes would not be replaced (save in very exceptional cases), employers were required to pay particular attention, when considering applications, to the scope that existed 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 was essential.

My Department was informed that the health service trade unions issued a directive in May 2009 instructing their members not to cooperate with redeployment and reassignment requests from management in response to the introduction of the moratorium on recruitment and promotions as set out in 2009 Employment Control Framework for the Public Health Sector. This instruction from the unions, which remains in place, severely restricts the ability of management to organise/restructure work practice and contravenes the qualification criteria for the scheme. As a result, the HSE suspended all three schemes in June 2009 but continued to accept applications, up to the closing date of 23 October 2009. I understand a total of 299 applications for the incentivised career Break scheme have been received in the HSE. Of this figure, 130 have been approved subject to the lifting of the current suspension on the scheme, 16 have been deferred, 150 refused and no decision has been made in respect of the remaining 3.

The HSE recently requested my Department's approval to lift the suspension as it applied to the Incentivised Scheme for Early Retirement (ISER), and to allow it to proceed to process to finalisation applications received prior to the closing date. This request is currently being considered by my Department in consultation with the Department of Finance.

In relation to my Department, I wish to advise that a total of 30 staff are currently on career break. Seventeen of these are on the traditional career break scheme (under the terms of Department of Finance Circular 18/98) and the remaining 13 officers are availing of the new Special Civil Service Incentive Career Break Scheme 2009 (Circular 13/2009).

The following statistics relate to the career break scheme under Department of Finance Circular 18/98: the average length of career break is 2.78 years (this excludes time spent by officers waiting to return from career break). Four officers have applied to return from career break for whom no position is currently available. The length of time they have been waiting for an appropriate position to become available is currently:

Less than one month: 1

Less than three months: 0

Less than six months: 1

Six months or more: 2

Of the 13 officers taking a career break under Special Civil Service Incentive Career Break Scheme, 9 commenced their break during 2009 and the remaining 4 will commence during 2010 following their return from maternity leave.