Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 65: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of social workers that have been appointed to date in view of the 270 additional social workers to be recruited by the Health Service Executive as promised in the implementation plan of the Ryan report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25788/10]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 79: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the progress that has been made on the appointment of 200 extra social workers promised for 2010; if they will be allocated for child protection or if some will have other functions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25895/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 79 together.

One of the principal commitments in the Ryan Implementation Plan is the need to ensure that all children in care have an allocated social worker and a care plan. To this end, the Government has committed to filling 270 HSE social worker posts by the end of 2011 and to the frontloading of this initiative in 2010 with the filling of 200 posts. This initiative is designed to target resources at front line services in order to ensure that the HSE fulfils its statutory obligations. The Oireachtas has voted that the necessary finance be provided and the filling of these posts has been exempted from the public service moratorium on recruitment and replacement of staff. There is an explicit commitment in the HSE Service Plan for 2010, as laid before the Oireachtas, that these posts will be filled.

I met with senior HSE representatives, including the Chairman of the Board, in recent weeks to review the progress being made in this regard. The HSE has advised me that approximately 400 candidates are being interviewed from June, in order to form a new panel of suitable candidates to fill all 200 posts in the current year. It is expected that offers will be made immediately afterwards. The 200 extra social workers will undertake a range of statutory child care functions, as per the recommendations of the Ryan Report. The recruitment of these additional social workers is critical in terms of progressing the Implementation Plan and in ensuring the allocation of a named social worker to each child in care and to the availability of care plans for all of these children. I have been assured by the HSE that the matter is being afforded the highest priority both by the Board and by senior management. I have requested an update from the HSE on the additional number of social workers recruited to date in 2010.