Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 446: To ask the Minister for Health his plans to introduce a new voluntary redundancy scheme for Health Service Executive staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19945/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to bringing about a significant reduction in the number of staff across the public service over the period to 2015, to realise efficiencies in the delivery of public services and contribute to the overall correction of the national finances, while protecting front-line services as far as possible.

The Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform is currently considering the range of measures that will be necessary to bring about the necessary numbers reductions. Policy measures across various areas of Government activity should contribute to this overall objective, and a comprehensive review of expenditure to examine all areas where savings and numbers reductions might be identified is currently taking place. Part of the overall policy on public service numbers may involve voluntary staff exit mechanisms, and the options in this regard will be considered by the Government in this overall context.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 447: To ask the Minister for Health the key front line services to which the remaining 310 public servants who previously processed medical and general practitioner cards around the country have been redeployed. [19947/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The HSE's Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) took over the management of all new medical card applications, across the regions, with effect from the beginning of July 2011. I have been informed that existing medical card section staff are still working on processing applications prior to that date. Redeployment of staff will not be complete until all backlogs etc. are cleared. I understand that staff have been, or will be, reassigned into Primary Care Teams and existing critical front line vacancies, over the regions, where there is an identified need.