Written answers

Tuesday, 20 April 2010

Department of Health and Children

Hospital Staff

9:00 pm

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 423: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her policy of rehiring staff at a hospital (details supplied) in County Dublin who have received early retirement packages and compensation; if it is the policy of the Health Service Executive to offer employees early retirement compensation and then rehire them; her view of whether this is an efficient use of funding and resources; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15735/10]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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Applicants under the Incentivised Scheme of Early Retirement in the public health sector (ISER) are not eligible for re-employment in the public health sector. I understand that the employees to which this question refers, did not receive an early retirement 'package', rather they got their normal superannuation entitlements provided for under Section 66 (1) (c) the Mental Treatment Act,1945. Under this Act, retirees whose names have been added to a register established under Section 65 of the Act, have a minimum retirement age of 55 and access to doubling of years for service in excess of 20 years. It should be noted that these provisions do not apply to new entrants as defined by the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2004 (Section 12 of that Act).

The (Pensions) Abatement Act 1965 provides the legislative basis for the suspension or reduction of an allowance (pension) where, after retirement, a scheme pensioner is employed in an agency / organisation in which the superannuation scheme paying the pension applies. Remuneration plus pension for the specified period should not exceed the up-rated remuneration for the post from which the pensioner retired. Abatement of pension (Circular 21/2005 refers) applies in all cases where the employer needs to re-engage the services of persons in receipt of pension.

I am informed by the HSE that it only resorts to the use of a retired employee to meet particular frontline service needs which cannot be met in any other way. The 2010 Employment Control Framework for the health service has been approved. The Framework provides the HSE with the ability to deal with critical exceptions to the moratorium once the overall reduction in health employment numbers, as agreed by Government, are being met. The Framework provides for a number of exceptions to the general moratorium on recruitment, promotion and acting up. I am pleased to report that the first 100 psychiatric nurse vacancies that arise can be filled (by psychiatric nurses or otherwise) to support the implementation of A Vision for Change.

I regret that due to industrial action in HSE I am not in a position to provide a substantive response in relation to the named individuals to which your Parliamentary Question refers. If this matter remains of continuing concern to you, however, I would invite you to raise it with me again in due course.

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