Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 26: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the total number of employees of the Health Service Executive who have been accepted for the redundancy-retirement scheme recently announced; the categories of employment of these workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1543/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 75: To ask the Minister for Health and Children in view of the smaller than expected numbers who have taken the early retirement-redundancy scheme, if it is intended to reduce management and administrative staff in the Health Service Executive by any other means; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1544/11]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 75 together.

In early November 2010 I announced that the Government had decided to approve a voluntary early retirement (VER) scheme and a voluntary redundancy (VR) scheme for certain categories of staff in the public health service. The purpose of the schemes was to achieve a permanent reduction in the numbers employed in the public health sector from 2011 onwards and to facilitate health service reform.

The VER and VR schemes were open to employees in the management and administrative staff and general support staff categories. The exact grades covered by the two schemes were set out in detail in the relevant Circular (Circular 7/2010). The schemes were not targeted at those providing front-line services.

The most recent detailed information available from the HSE indicates that 2,003 individuals have departed from the health service under the schemes; 641 in respect of the voluntary early retirement scheme and 1,362 in respect of the voluntary redundancy scheme. Of this total, 1,409 were HSE employees while the balance were employed in voluntary hospitals, disability organisations etc. 533 individuals employed in the HSE accepted the VER scheme while 876 individuals employed in the HSE availed of the VR scheme. Overall, a total of 1,364 individuals from the Management and Administration category availed of the schemes while the remaining 639 are categorised as General Suppor Staff. These numbers are subject to minor adjustment as queries are finalised etc.

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. A basic objective of the Framework remains to reduce the numbers of management and administration staff and non-frontline staff employed in the sector.