Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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452. To ask the Minister for Health the details of current vacancies at Letterkenny University Hospital in respect of medical personnel in tabular form; the time these posts have remained vacant; the positions for which approval to commence recruitment to fill an identified staffing deficit has been sought by the hospital; if approval has yet been granted in respect of such positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14644/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter. 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.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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453. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the impact, which the recently introduced interim measures restricting recruitment within the health service pending the approval of a new HSE pay and numbers strategy, will have on an individual hospitals' ability to fill staffing vacancies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14645/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Recent measures taken in relation to service areas in the HSE remaining within budget have been portrayed, incorrectly, as a recruitment freeze.

These measures do not impact on a hospital’s ability to recruit where funding exists to facilitate that recruitment; for example in the case of funded replacement posts or where additional funding has been allocated for new positions under the HSE service plan. Recruitment can also take place in areas of critical care and emergency services.

The HSE has continuously increased staffing levels since the beginning of 2015. By the end of April this year, overall health service employee numbers had increased by over 6,000 whole time equivalents since the start of last year, with an extra 1,600 WTEs in the first four months of 2016 alone. The vast majority of these employees are in front line positions. Numbers in the Medical and Dental category increased by almost 600 WTEs or 6.5% since the start of 2015 while nursing figures rose by over 1,700 or 5% during the same timeframe.

It is this government’s intention to continue to grow the health budget as the economy improves and to obtain further resources to deliver the level of service that we all want to provide to our patients.