Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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528. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to encourage more nurses to work for the HSE as opposed to working for private care companies or emigrating. [11497/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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During recent engagement between this Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the HSE, INMO and SIPTU to avert the proposed industrial action scheduled by the INMO for the 7th March, the management side supplied a joint proposal document setting out a number of specific measures to attract and retain nursing staff. This was done in the context of HSE management having developed a fully funded workforce plan for an additional 1,208 nursing/midwifery posts in 2017. The proposal includes extensive education and personal development opportunities for nurses and midwives to upskill, and a pilot pre-retirement initiative as a method of retaining the expertise of experienced nursing/midwifery staff. It also includes 127 promotional posts for staff nurses/midwives to Clinical Nurse/Midwife Manager 1. The management side is also positively disposed to a proposal from the union side for the restoration of a number of allowances for new entrant nurses and this consideration will be concluded in the upcoming pay talks in the summer.

The above is in addition to the many other initiatives currently underway to improve nursing and midwifery staffing levels throughout the country.  The number of nursing and midwifery staff increased by 1,650 whole time equivalents between December 2013 and December 2016, notwithstanding intense global competition for our nurses and midwives. The HSE has offered permanent posts to 2016 degree programme graduates in order to retain its graduates. The HSE is also offering full time permanent contracts to those in temporary posts and is also focused on converting posts filled by agency staffing to permanent posts. Its National Recruitment Service is actively operating rolling nursing recruitment campaigns. The HSE ran a 3 day open recruitment event over the Christmas holiday period in Dr Steevens’ Hospital for nurses and midwives from all disciplines interested in working in the Irish Public Health Service. A further event is scheduled for 31 March 2017. A relocation package of up to €1,500 continues to be available to nurses who return from overseas.