Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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241. To ask the Minister for Health the reason sections 38 and 39 funded voluntary organisations were included in the savings required by the Haddington Road agreement and the impact this will have on the provision of services. [41249/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Haddington Road Agreement (HRA) is a critical enabler for employers and organisations, across the full spectrum of the public health sector, to make their contribution to the cost reductions required by Government and to support the public service reform agenda. All agencies funded by the HSE, including Section 39 agencies, are required to make an appropriate and proportionate contribution to the implementation of payroll and related cost reduction measures, in line with other publicly funded bodies. The costs reductions applied across the health service are designed to protect existing levels of services and to provide a more sustainable payroll cost base into the future.

Employees of bodies funded under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004, as public servants, are party to the HRA. While employees in bodies funded under Section 39 of the Health Act 2004 are not public servants, and therefore not party to the HRA, the HSE is in communication with the Section 39 bodies to ensure that the savings and flexibility measures which derive from the Agreement, are pursued across the Section 39 sector.