Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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374. To ask the Minister for Health the number of nurses per 1,000 population for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44720/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The OECD has compiled data that shows Ireland having twelve practising nurses per 1,000 population compared to an OECD average of 9. These OECD figures are based on data provided by the Central Statistics’ Office Quarterly National Household Survey. They 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.

The figures requested by the Deputy are set out in the following table.

From 2012: CSO Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) data (labour force survey).

Pre 2012: FÁS/Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) analysis of CSO Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) data (labour force survey).

Notes:

1) Data include those working in both the public and private sectors.

2) *In 2012, the survey sample weights were revised in line with the 2011 Census of Population; the weights were adjusted upwards meaning that employment estimates were higher than those previously used. As a result the figures from 2012 are not directly comparable with previous years' estimates.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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375. To ask the Minister for Health the number of physicians per 1,000 population for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44721/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The figures requested by the Deputy are set out with the following table.

Notes:

1) In an attempt to estimate for professionally active physicians, figures refer to all persons with addresses in the Republic of Ireland (i.e. excludes physicians working abroad), aged under 70 years old, who have entered and maintained their name as fully registered doctors in the Register of Medical Practitioners, regardless of the area in which they are engaged or whether or not they are practising medicine. Registration is a pre-requisite for practice in Ireland.

2)*Break in time series in 2014: From 2014, data refer to doctors registered with the Medical Council of Ireland who, in the last 12 months, have declared themselves active and who have worked in Ireland either full or part-time.

Professionally active physicians include practising physicians and other physicians for whom their medical education is a prerequisite for the execution of the job.