Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 431: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the steps she will take to fill vital front-line staffing and nursing posts which are placing health services on the verge of closure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1347/11]

Mary 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 2011-2014 for the health sector. The Framework gives effect to the Government policy on employment in the public sector.

However, the Framework does allow for the filling of certain exempted grades including Medical Consultant, Speech & Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Clinical Psychologist, Behavioural Therapist, Counsellor, and Social Worker. There are also grades/posts to which special provisions apply including Psychiatric Nurse and Advanced Nurse Practitioner/Clinical Nurse Specialist.

In addition, the Health Service Executive can also make exceptions to the moratorium on recruitment under certain conditions.