Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 167: To ask the Minister for Health the degree to which adequate numbers of social workers are available to meet requirements throughout the health service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18156/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Social workers employed by the health service are deployed across a range of services, including hospitals, primary care, disability, mental health and the child welfare and protection service. The information which follows relates to the child welfare and protection service.

The Implementation Plan which was prepared arising from the findings of the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse committed to the recruitment of an additional 270 social workers to this service.

An additional 200 social workers were recruited by the HSE in 2010. The HSE has made provision in its 2011 National Service Plan for the recruitment of a further 60 posts this year. The filling of social work vacancies and the recruitment of additional social workers was exempted from the current public sector recruitment moratorium. The recruitment of these additional staff is designed to assist the HSE in meeting its statutory obligations such that every child in care has an allocated social worker and a care plan.