Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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220. To ask the Minister for Health the reason a staff member of the Health Service Executive (details supplied) in County Meath was refused their senior staff nurse salary when they had originally signed their contract long before the moratorium was implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25997/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Prior to the introduction of the moratorium on staff recruitment and promotion in the health service, which took effect on 27 March 2009, arrangements were in place whereby staff nurses, who applied, were promoted to the Senior Staff Nurse Grade after 20 years' service. Promotions took place in November each year. The relevant agreement between Management and the Unions stipulated that the post of Senior Staff Nurse was not a long-service increment. Since the moratorium, no appointments to the post of Senior Staff Nurse have been made, given that such appointments would constitute promotion.

The future appointment of Senior Staff Nurses is provided for in the proposed Public Service Stability Agreement finalised on 21 May 2013, following engagement between management and the public sector representative bodies under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission. Subject to the agreement being ratified by the relevant unions, management have agreed to restore the Senior Staff Nurse Grade in the manner it originally operated and with effect from 1 July 2013 in respect of currently eligible nurses.