Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 75: To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons and their rank and salary scale involved in the compilation of health policy in respect of primary and secondary health services with particular reference to those with responsibility for the determination of the size, scale and location of general and special hospitals and health centres; the extent to which future policy in this regard is likely to be controlled or affected by such a team; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32719/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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My Department's role to provide strategic leadership for the health sector and to ensure that Government health policies are translated into actions and implemented effectively. There are 366.66 administrative and professional staff in my Department, and they are assigned across nine Divisions, as follows:- Finance, Performance Evaluation, and EU/International; National HR and Professional Regulation; Parliamentary & Corporate Affairs & Corporate Legislation Unit; Acute Hospitals & Private Health Insurance; Primary Care & Eligibility; Office for Disability and Mental Health; Office for Older People; Office of the Chief Medical Officer; Special Delivery Unit.

The standard Civil Service grades, which range from Secretary General to Clerical officer, account for the vast majority of our staff , and salary scales for these grades are as follows:-

There is a high level of interaction and co-operation with the HSE in formulating and implementing policy across the full range of issues, and in this context the size, scale and location of general and special hospitals and health centres is ultimately determined by a process of collaboration between my Department and the HSE, in the context of the capital programme.