Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Question 758: To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the appointment of a permanent director to the national Suicide Prevention Office of the Health Service Executive in view of the fact that this Deputy was informed in Dáil Éireann on 1 March 2012 that the closing date for receipt of applications of interest was 3 February 2012 and that interviews would take place later in March and that an appointment would be made shortly after that [20431/12]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) which was established by the HSE in 2005 is part of the internal organisation of that body and the appointment of a Director is a matter for the HSE. The former Director of the NOSP retired last September and having regard to the importance of the work of the Office, the HSE appointed an Acting Director from the date of the retirement, pending approval to retain and fill the post following the seeking of expressions of interest and redeployment within the HSE. The position was initially advertised in February 2012 and interviews were scheduled for March. However, it came to light that the Expression of Interest Notice did not reach all HSE staff and in the interest of fairness the position was re-advertised nationally to the entire HSE to ensure that all eligible staff were given an equal opportunity to apply. The new closing date for receipt of applications was 30th March 2012 and interviews are now scheduled for 17th May 2012. It is intended that a Director will be appointed when the selection process has been completed.