James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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200. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to examine the pay inequality that arises when public sector employees receive pay increases while employees section 39 organisations, such as an organisation (details supplied), remain on the same pay scale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45555/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Under section 39 of the Health Act 2004, the HSE has in place Service Level Agreements with voluntary providers which set out the level of service to be provided for the grant to the individual organisation. Any individuals employed by these section 39 organisations are not HSE employees, therefore neither the HSE nor the Minister have a role in determining the salaries or other terms and conditions applying to these staff.

The staff of these Section 39 organisations are not public servants and therefore were not subject to the FEMPI legislation which imposed pay reductions. It follows then that the staff of the section 39 bodies will not be eligible for any pay restoration which is provided for under the more recent Public Service Agreements. It is a matter for Section 39 organisations to negotiate salaries with their staff as part of their employment relationship and within the overall funding available for the delivery of agreed services.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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201. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to examine the pay and working conditions of HSE employed psychiatric nurses and consultant child psychiatrists to entice new staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45558/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I recognise that there are particular difficulties recruiting mental health staff at present and related workforce challenges. Psychiatry is a specialty where there are significant worldwide shortages and international competition for our doctors and nurses.

The HSE has been focused on increasing the number of front-line staff over the past two years as the budgetary position has improved and progress has been made in growing the consultant, NCHD and nursing workforce. While there are difficulties in filling posts in certain specialties, including psychiatry, the number of consultants employed in the public health system continues to increase year on year. At the end of August 2017 there were 2,913 whole time equivalents consultants in the public health service, an increase of 101 compared with the end August 2016and an increase of over 700 in the past decade. The number of NCHDs has also increased significantly. At the end of August 2017 there were 6,209 whole time equivalent NCHDs, an increase of 278 compared with the end of August 2016 number and an increase of over 1,100 in the past decade. The number of nursing and midwifery staff stood at 36,278 in August 2017; this is an increase of 739 whole time equivalents in the past 12 months, notwithstanding intense global competition for our nurses and midwives.

Recruitment of nurses and midwives is a key priority this year. The HSE have committed to offering permanent contracts to all graduate nurses, including mental health nurses. These contracts are being offered as part of the 2017 Nursing and Midwifery Agreement, reached with the INMO and SIPTU. This Agreement has a particular focus on addressing recruitment and retention of nursing and midwifery posts. It has committed to put in place an additional 1,224 nursing and midwifery posts across the public health service by the end of December 2017. This Agreement followed an agreement with the Psychiatric Nurses Association and SIPTU in summer 2016 that also includes a range of measures aimed at improving psychiatric nursing staffing levels. Very extensive and detailed work has been sustained throughout 2017 to implement these Agreements.

The Report of the Public Service Pay Commission identified problems in recruitment and retention in specific and specialist groups that are internationally in demand particularly in the health sector Following the ratification of the Public Service Stability Agreement, the Commission will now carry out a more comprehensive examination of underlying difficulties in recruitment and retention in those sectors and employment streams where difficulties are clearly evident, including psychiatry. The Commission is committed to reporting on medical and nursing grades in 2018. The outcome of its assessment will be subject to discussions between the relevant parties.