Written answers

Thursday, 11 November 2010

Department of Health and Children

Departmental Staff

6:00 pm

Photo of Billy TimminsBilly Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for Health and Children to outline in tabular form the number of social workers currently employed on a full-time basis in the Health Service Executive and the number that were employed by the HSE in each of the years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41896/10]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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The information requested by the Deputy regarding the number of social workers employed on a full-time basis in the Health Service Executive is set out in the table below:

Numbers (WTE excld. career break) of social workers employed in the HSE only
31/12/200531/12/200631/12/200731/12/2008
Health Service Executive1,6611,7421,8141,799
Figures include the grade of social worker (non-professionally qualified)

Photo of Brian O'SheaBrian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 56: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her plans to modify the way in which the moratorium on replacement of staff in the health services is being implemented in view of the effect it has had on areas such as mental health and nursing staff and the cost of using agency personnel to supplement front-line service delivery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41871/10]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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The Government has made clear that a critical part of its strategy to restore the public finances is to achieve sustainability in the cost of delivering public services relative to State revenues. To help achieve this goal, it will be necessary to restructure and reorganise the public service and to reduce public service numbers over the coming years. This requires that the moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the health service will continue to apply until the numbers have fallen to the level set out in the Employment Control Framework for the health sector. The Framework for 2010-2012 gives effect to the Government decision on employment policy in the public sector and provides that there will be a net reduction in employment to 2012. This includes a target reduction in numbers in 2010 to achieve the overall reduction of 6,000 from March 2009 to the end 2012 and consequential pay roll savings. Based on numbers reductions already achieved in 2009, the net target reduction to end 2012 is 4,560 WTE (or 1,520 per annum). While there is provision in the HSE's Employment Control Framework for some exemptions and exceptions these are limited because of the need to achieve the required payroll savings.

Under the ECF 2010-2012 grades exempted from the moratorium/special provisions include:

Clinical Psychologist, Behavioural Therapist, Counsellor – replacement posts and up to 230 in addition to the Dec 09 outturn;

up to 100 Psychiatric Nurses vacancies where they are required to support the implementation of 'A Vision for Change';

up to 70 Public Health Nurse posts to facilitate the appointment of student public health nurses; and

up to 30 posts to facilitate the appointment of successful students from the Nurse Sponsorship Scheme.

The HSE's Health Service Personnel Census indicates that the change in the numbers employed, in the public health service of 1,272 wholetime equivalents, between end 2008 and end 2009 by grade category is as follows:

Numbers (WTE excld career break) employed in the public health service, by grade categoryChange between Dec 08 and Dec 09% Change between Dec 08 and Dec 09
Grade category31/12/200831/12/2009
Medical/ Dental8,1098,083-26-0.32%
Nursing38,10837,466-642-1.68%
Health & Social Care Professionals15,98015,973-7-0.04%
Management/ Admin17,96717,611-357-1.98%
General Support Staff*12,63111,906-724-5.74%
Other Patient & Client Care*18,23018,7144842.65%
Total111,025109,753-1,272-1.15%
Notes: (1) Excludes Home Helps. (2) Student nurses are included in the 2008 employment ceiling on the basis of 3.5 students equating to 1 wholetime equivalent. The employment level adjusted for student nurses on the above basis is 111,001 WTEs. (3) Student nurses are included in the 2009 figures on the basis of 2 students equating to 1 wholetime equivalent - the figures above are already adjusted. *The data for Other Patient and Client Care and General Support Staff may have been affected by reclassification between grade categories.

The census also indicates that between year end 2008 and year end 2009, the number of mental health nurses decreased by 4% but the number of clinical psychologists increased by 3.5%.

Under the Employment Control Framework, agency staff can only be used in exceptional circumstances to provide emergency relief for medical/professional staff providing essential frontline health, welfare and protection services. They may not be used to: (i) substitute for management/administrative staff; (ii) substitute or replace temporary positions which have been terminated or posts which have been suppressed under the framework; or (iii) effectively increase the numbers of staff employed.

As I have already outlined, the target reductions in the Employment Control Framework are necessary to restructure the public service and to reduce public service numbers, and to support the Government's strategy to restore the public finances.

In addition, as the Deputy will be aware, on the 1st November 2010, I announced that the Government had decided to approve a voluntary early retirement scheme and a voluntary redundancy scheme for certain categories of staff in the public health service. The schemes are open to both management/administrative grades and support staff but priority will be given to the management/administrative grades. The purpose of the schemes is to achieve a permanent reduction in the numbers employed in the public health sector from 2011 onwards and to facilitate health service reform.

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