Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 546: To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons in his Department's redeployment pool, including agencies responsible to it, that is, those persons who are to be redeployed as their current role is no longer necessary, but have not been redeployed as of yet. [30481/12]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 560: To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons employed in his Department and in agencies under his aegis that are in the redeployment pool; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30606/12]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Question 585: To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons within his Department or within agencies under his aegis that are awaiting redeployment; the maximum period of time that a person has been waiting for redeployment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30823/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 546, 560 and 585 together.

Each Government Department has an Employment Control Framework (ECF) which sets an upper limit on staff numbers. Thus far my Department has complied with its ECF limits and redeployment has therefore not arisen. This position will be kept under ongoing review.

The HSE has confirmed that that it does not have any employees currently in the public service redeployment pool. Redeployment is to be voluntary, in so far as possible. This protocol has proved largely successful. Given the size of the health sector, any surplus staff are redeployed within the sector itself. An estimated 4,500 redeployments has been reported by the health sector in its second annual progress report on implementing the PSA (reporting period of 1st April 2011 to 31st March 2012). This is a significant increase from the previous reporting period (1st April 2010 – 31st March 2011), where a total of 750 staff redeployments were reported. Redeployment is one of the main achievements of the Agreement in the health sector. It is essential to allow local management to continue to deliver services with reduced staffing numbers and budgets, as well as service reconfigurations. Numbers of staff involved can range from large to small, but all require staff flexibility and cooperation.

With regard to the other agencies under the remit of my Department, there are no staff either on, or awaiting placement on, a redeployment panel currently.