Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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686. To ask the Minister for Health if the Service Level Agreements between the Health Service Executive Medical Education and Training Unit and the College of Anaesthetists, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland require the colleges to ensure the fair and equal distribution of training posts for junior doctors to hospitals throughout the State reflects the service requirements of the HSE in hospitals across the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22839/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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687. To ask the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that the Health Service Executive's centralised recruitment process will deliver the required number of junior doctors to hospitals throughout the State this summer [22840/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The HSE is actively managing the recruitment process for the July 2013 rotation in order to ensure that as many NCHDs as possible are recruited and that all critical service needs are met. A number of separate recruitment processes are currently underway including: Filling by the Postgraduate Training Bodies of posts on training schemes; HSE Centralised Applications process; Local recruitment - which fills approximately 70% of service posts; Other external HSE funded initiatives - including a partnership arrangement with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan and recruitment in South Africa.

In the longer term the HSE is focused on improving the working conditions of NCHDs and on measures that will improve retention and, in particular, the achievement of compliance with the European Working Time Directive. In this context the HSE has established a National Implementation Group to progress compliance with the requirements of the Directive and to facilitate introduction of electronic time recording and rostering systems.