Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 134: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the progress that has been made regarding the implementation of the Croke Park agreement and if changes will be made to it to allow for essential redundancies which need to take place at the higher administration levels within the Health Service Executive; her views that without such redundancies the frontline services provided by the HSE will suffer in an unacceptable way if the potential €1 billion cuts in the health service area is to be reached; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41569/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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The Public Service Agreement 2010-2014 (the "Croke Park Agreement") provides a framework for public service management and staff to work together to deliver an ongoing reduction in the cost of delivery of public services, while maintaining and improving the quality of services delivered to the public, in return for commitments on pay and security of employment for public servants. The Implementation Body has been established to drive the implementation of the Agreement across all sectors and ensure that early, robust and verifiable reforms are secured, which lead to sustainable and verifiable savings in the cost of public service delivery.

The Health Sector Action Plan, which was developed by my Department working closely with the HSE, recognises that the Public Service Agreement enables the Health Sector to protect services to patients/users, in as far as is possible, within the context of whatever expenditure decisions are made by Government for 2011 and subsequent years. The Plan also takes account of the fact that the implementation of reform is a dynamic process, and one which will allow identification of changes which may be required in the way services are delivered and the associated changes in work practices, on an ongoing basis.

The Health Sector Implementation Body (HSIB) is responsible for driving the implementation of the Action Plan and will be required to report on progress to the Implementation Body. Local structures are also being put in place at regional level across the HSE to help to drive implementation of the Public Service Agreement at a regional level and report progress to the HSIB.

On 1 November 2010, I announced that the Government has decided to approve a voluntary early retirement (VER) scheme and a voluntary redundancy scheme (VRS) for certain categories of staff in the public health service. 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. As the Public Service Agreement commits all parties to the reduction of public servants and provides for Government to offer voluntary mechanisms to exit the Public Service, there is no need to amend the Agreement, as the Deputy has suggested.

The VER and VRS schemes are open to employees management and administrative staff and general support staff but priority will be given to management and administrative grades. The exact grades covered by the two schemes are set out in detail in the relevant Circular (Circular 7/2010). There is general acceptance of the need to reduce the numbers of management and administrative staff in the health service. For that reason, all applications from management and administrative staff to avail of the schemes will be approved. Approval for applications from support staff will depend on the numbers of management and administrative staff who apply and the overall cap on costs not being breached.

I am happy to report that there is a high level of interest in the schemes. However it is not possible to predict, as yet, to what extent the current level of enquiries will translate into actual applications ahead of the closing date of 19 November.

Health service employers will be looking to the provisions of the Croke Park agreement to ensure they continue to deliver services with reduced numbers and I understand that an engagement with the relevant trade unions has already begun. While the implementation of the schemes will challenge the health service over the coming months, I believe that it will lead to a more efficient health service in the long term.