Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 917: To ask the Minister for Health the amount spent on agency staff in each of the years 2008 to 2011; the number of staff involved in each year; the amount forecast to be spent this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26822/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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In the health service, agency staff have traditionally been used to meet a short-term service need or where some flexibility in staffing a service is required. In 2011, although the HSE had negotiated new agency contracts which involve lower unit costs, the use of agency staff accounted for approximately €177 million, as outlined in the table below. This was accounted for in part by the usage of agency staffing to cover longer-term staffing needs. When locum staff, who are employed by the HSE, are added, the total amounts to over €200 million.

This is not a sustainable approach and the HSE's National Service Plan 2012 commits to significantly lowering the volume of agency usage across all staff functions, with a target reduction of up to 50% in 2012. The Plan also notes that the transposition into Irish law of the Temporary Agency Work Directive will increase the unit cost of agency staffing.

Agency staff are the employees of the agencies concerned rather than the HSE and as such the number of individuals engaged in such work is not reported.

A table outlines HSE agency costs from 2008-2011.