Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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282. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to revise the recruitment policy for nurses; if he will consider devolving the human resource responsibility to each hospital which would speed up the process from the current centralised process; if he will consider reviewing the Garda clearance procedure in terms of the need for new clearance if moving from a voluntary hospital to a HSE hospital; the length of time this takes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34398/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for a Partnership Government aims to recruit and retain talent within the public health service by implementing new procedures to ensure more efficient and timely recruitment of nurses. This Government has secured a total budget of €14.6 billion for the health service in 2017, the highest ever health budget. This funding will allow for the filling of a significant number of nursing and other key service delivery posts.

There are many initiatives currently underway to improve staffing levels throughout the country. The HSE is offering permanent posts to 2016 degree programme graduates, and full time permanent contracts to those in temporary posts. The HSE is also focused on converting agency staffing to permanent posts. The HSE's National Recruitment Service is actively operating rolling nursing recruitment campaigns. The campaigns encompass General, Mental Health, Intellectual Disability and Registered Children's Nurses, and also Midwives. In addition, a relocation package of up to €1,500 is available to nurses who return from overseas.

The HSE People Strategy is supported by detailed Work Plans to deliver the outcomes required under the direction of the HR Leadership Team. The work plans intend to specifically address the responsiveness of the recruitment process to add pace to the timeline between approval and appointment including the establishment of ‘transfer’ panels and to restructure recruitment to achieve optimum delivery of workforce plans. The HSE are also in the process of developing a HR Delivery Model and a consultation document has been circulated, this is expected to be finalised by the end of the year.

HSE Health Business Services (HBS) provide a range of services across five functional areas, one of which is the National Recruitment Service (NRS). The NRS will continue to implement the Recruitment Strategy with Corporate HR HSE and other stakeholders.

As part of the pre-appointment screening process the NRS verify all information provided to them in order to complete assessment of the candidate with regard to their suitability and competence for the particular post. This is for the protection and interest of all patients, service users and staff. The information disclosed on the Garda Vetting Form is the property of the organisation in the first instance and therefore under Data Protection it should not be passed from organisation to organisation.