Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which he continues to examine the possibility of the greater use of part-time or temporary nursing staff as a means of achieving economies in order to work within budget; if he will provide an adequate spread of nursing cover throughout the health service; if he intends to examine alternative options with a view to achieving this objective with particular reference to the number of graduate nurses registered following his recent initiative in this regard; if he intends to re-examine the cohort of qualified nurses available in sufficient numbers to meet current and future requirements; if he expects to be in a position to make further announcements in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7537/13]

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 fiscal and budgetary targets. The health sector must make its contribution to that reduction. Subject to compliance with national policy, particularly in relation to the employment control framework, it is a matter for the HSE to determine the composition of its staffing complement.

The HSE is continually pursuing measures to achieve staffing economies. The National Service Plan for 2013 identifies a range of objectives to be advanced, including work practice changes for identified health disciplines, systematic reviews of rosters, skill-mix and staffing levels, increased use of re-deployment, further productivity increases and a focussed approach to addressing absenteeism and implementing revised new sick leave arrangements.

The Plan also provides for tight control of the use of higher-cost staffing arrangements and in particular the use of agency staffing and overtime working. The graduate nurse placement initiative will provide participants with frontline working experience and professional development opportunities, while at the same time providing additional nursing capacity at service level.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform approved this employment initiative on the basis that participants would not be counted in health service staff numbers and that it would contribute to savings on unsustainable levels of agency and overtime expenditure. The HSE's National Service Plan for 2013 provides for a saving of €10m in the current year, arising from the introduction of this scheme. Given the requirement on the HSE to reduce numbers employed and to maximise savings, there is only very limited scope to offer permanent nursing posts at present.