Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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192. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of persons who wish to transfer employment within the public sector, for example, persons who wish to transfer from the Health Service Executive in Dublin to similar posts outside Dublin or situations where persons in the HSE wish to transfer to new employment in local authorities; the arrangements in place for vacancies to be available and filled within the public service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5382/16]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware under the Civil Service Renewal Plan, my Department in conjunction with the Civil Service Management Board is examining ways to improve mobility within the Civil Service.

There are currently no formal centrally managed arrangements for the transfer of staff between the different sectors of the public service. While, for example, the seeking of expressions of interest from public servants in respect of specific posts  did allow for some movement between sectors such moves were, in the main, designed to address specific skills shortages.    

I understand from my colleague the Minister for Health who has responsibility for the HSE that the agreed arrangements for the redeployment staff within the Health, Education, and Local Government sectors are managed directly by those sectors. 

The Minister for Health has also informed me of the following.

  A National Transfer Policy Scheme for the HSE was introduced in April 2007. It was developed as part of the framework agreement between IMPACT & the HSE and applies to clerical/administrative staff. The Central Transfer Processing Unit in HR Services, Shared Services, Manorhamilton, manage requests for clerical/administrative grades who wish to transfer. The feedback on the current operation of the scheme was that it was proving difficult to facilitate requests from employees who wish to transfer to a different location due to the fact that their current posts were not being backfilled under the moratorium on recruitment and promotion. 

As an interim arrangement in May 2015 the HSE introduced an Employee Swap/Exchange System applicable to all HSE employees who are employed in a permanent capacity and have completed their probationary period at entry grade. This system allows an employee to arrange a job swap with an employee of the same grade employed in a different location of the HSE, thereby enabling both employees to change to their desired locations. This Swap/Exchange System does not restrict a line manager's ability to reassign staff in line with service needs. A joint review of the Swap/Exchange System is currently underway.

There is a current Public Health Nurses Transfer Policy which came into effect on 1st April 2015. The purpose of this policy is to give effect to the LRC proposals of 23 July 2014 to the HSE and Irish Nurses Midwives Organisation, to establish a transfer panel specifically for Public Health Nurses and has been agreed by all parties to the process. The policy replaces any existing local or regional system used to fill vacant Public Health Nurses posts. 

The HSE National Ambulance Service has operated a Transfer Policy since 2014 to allow for a mechanism to facilitate the placement, where possible of all National Ambulance Service personnel in or as close as possible to the Divisional area nearest their home.

Discussions are currently ongoing with the National Joint Council of Unions(NJC) around the operation of transfer panels in the Health Services.