Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 300: To ask the Minister for Health the actions he will take to retain older, more experienced front-line workers in the Health Service Executive to ensure that front-line services retain mixed-ability staff cohorts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40275/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The HSE must ensure that the health sector is staffed with personnel with the appropriate mix of skills and experience. This is part of the human resource planning function of any organisation.

While it is not possible to say how many staff will actually retire in any given year, it will be affected by a number of factors. In particular, the grace period during which the calculation of public service pensions is unaffected by the pay reductions applied under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) (No. 2) Act 2009 expires on 29 February 2012. Separately, staff may apply to retire under the Cost Neutral Early Retirement Scheme.

The current Employment Control Framework provides some flexibility to the HSE and other service providers to manage staffing resources so as to protect front line services as far as possible. In addition, the Public Service Agreement allows for the redeployment of staff based on service need.