Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 271: To ask the Minister for Health the tangible results that have been delivered in his Department through the implementation of the Croke Park Agreement; the implementation plan in place in his Department to ensure reforms envisaged through this agreement are delivered on; if he is satisfied with the pace of reform in his Department and the agencies under his remit; the further reforms the taxpayer and Irish citizens may expect to witness in the running of his Department and its agencies through the public sector reform agenda; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31580/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Implementation Body for the Public Service Agreement (PSA) 2010–2014 recently published its second annual report outlining its assessment of progress in the second year of the Agreement. This report is available on the Body's website, www.implementationbody.gov.ie.

The Report notes that the PSA has enabled health service delivery to be maintained against a backdrop of reduced budgets and staff numbers and in the face of accelerating demand for such services. It also noted that there had been a net reduction 2,855 staff (WTE) between April 2011 and March 2012, while in the acute hospitals improved procedures and productivity measures had enabled overall inpatient and day-case activity to be maintained at or above planned levels.

I acknowledge and welcome the improvements in productivity being delivered by health service staff through the PSA in relation, for example, to staff redeployment, streamlining of management structures including clinical management roles, and changes in skill mix. However, further progress must continue to be made. The 2012 Health Sector Action Plan contains a concise and focused set of objectives aimed at meeting the commitments in the HSE National Service Plan 2012 and facilitating the implementation of the Government's reform plans for the health sector. It requires an acceleration of changes to ensure that all essential services are protected. It also includes priority changes for particular disciplines including Consultants, Nurses, Allied Health Professionals.

My own Department has made significant changes in how it does its business in order to continue to deliver its objectives with significantly reduced staff. Structures, reporting lines, and the distribution of responsibilities have been significantly adjusted to allow us to do more with less. This is continuing on an ongoing basis as numbers continue to fall and demands increase. We have also strengthened the management of staff performance and of absenteeism, and have reviewed arrangements for cross stream reporting in the Department.

The Integrated Progress Report on the Action Plan for the 12 month period to 31 March 2012 for my Department and its agencies is on my Department's website, www.dohc.ie.

The Government's health reform programme is a complex and major undertaking that requires careful planning and sequencing. Notwithstanding the difficult financial environment, substantial progress has been made and the programme is on schedule.