Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Health if, in the context of the forthcoming voluntary scheme as proposed for employees in the health service, he will outline the categories of such employees who will be permitted to participate in the said scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7186/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Government has decided that the numbers employed across the public service must be reduced in order to meet its fiscal and budgetary targets. The health sector must make its contribution to that reduction. This policy requires that by the end of 2013, the health service achieves a workforce of 98,955 whole time equivalents (WTEs). While normal retirement and redeployment will achieve part of the required reduction, a targeted programme of voluntary redundancy in certain parts of the health service will also be introduced as a means of achieving the full reductions required. The HSE has been asked to consider the most appropriate way of targeting this scheme in order to ensure that any impact on frontline service delivery is minimised.

It is not possible at this stage to say which categories of health care workers will be eligible to apply.