Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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141. To ask the Minister for Health the number of qualified nurses of working age living within the State but currently not working within the health service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38457/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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It is not possible to provide a precise number for qualified nurses of working age currently not working within the health service. In order to practice as a nurse in Ireland one would have to be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). Last month there were 63,849 nurses and midwives registered in Ireland compared with 34,852 nurses (WTE's) employed in the public health service at the end of September. However registration does not reflect the available supply of nurses. Many nurses who are registered would not be available for work in the health service. There are a significant number of qualified nurses working in the private health sector and others in sectors of the economy relating to though not involving the provision of nursing care. There would also be a number of nurses living here who would have qualified outside the State and would not be registered with the NMBI and also nurses of working age who qualified in Ireland but are not currently registered.

The OECD has compiled data that show Ireland having 12 practising nurses per 1,000 population compared to an OECD average of nine. These OECD figures are based on data provided by the Central Statistics’ Office Quarterly National Household Survey and are based on the concept of “professionally active” nurses, which means nurses who are actually working in the health system. Notwithstanding the OECD data, it is recognised that filling vacant nursing posts is a challenge at present, in particular filling posts in certain specialist areas.

With a recovering economy, the Health Service Executive is now in a position to offer a wide range of career opportunities for nurses and midwives. There are many initiatives currently underway to improve nursing staff levels throughout the country. These include the retention of 2015 degree programme graduates, offering full time permanent contracts, and a national and international recruitment campaign. In addition the conversion of agency usage to permanent staffing in line with agreed processes is being pursued.