Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 581: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will give a breakdown by care area of the 57 replacement social worker staff approved since January 2012; if she will clarify if any of these 57 replacement social workers are included in the Health Service Executive figure of 1,197 whole time equivalent social workers employed by the HSE in the children and family area as of end March 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25267/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The latest information from the HSE indicates that 57 social worker posts have been submitted to the National Recruitment Service since the beginning of 2012 and in the following care areas:

48 Children and Families

6 Mental Health

1 Acute Services

2 Not stated

These posts are at various stages of recruitment. It will be seen from the figures that the vast majority of the replacement posts are in the children and families care group.

I have requested clarification from the HSE in response to the Deputy's query as to whether the whole time equivalent number of social workers of 1,197 at the end of March 2012 in the children and family services care group includes any of these 57 posts and I will correspond with the Deputy when I receive it from the HSE.