Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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122. To ask the Minister for Health the current staffing levels in all the community hospitals in west Cork; his plans to recruit additional nursing staff and attendants in each of these hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21154/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on the specific information sought. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced in Budget 2015 that he intends to delegate greater autonomy to Departments and Agencies to manage their own staffing levels. The change from the application of a rigid employment control framework, with its particular focus on a moratorium on recruitment and compliance with employment ceilings and targets, to one operating strictly within allocated pay frameworks will allow for recruitment where it is determined that this can achieve more economical service delivery. This delegation is currently subject to the finalisation of a Pay and Numbers Strategy by the HSE and approval of the Strategy by this Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Although there had been a significant reduction in the number of nurses and midwives employees in the period between 2009 and 2013, numbers are now increasing. Between the end of 2013 and the end of 2014 nursing and midwifery numbers increased by 365. More importantly, the recruitment rate has accelerated, and an extra 493 nurses and midwives have been employed between December 2014 and March 2015. The HSE are actively recruiting nurses. A total of 1,986 nurses were interviewed in the past 10 weeks and 906 of these have started or are currently being appointed.