Written answers

Tuesday, 29 May 2018

Department of Health

Health Services Staff Remuneration

Photo of Willie PenroseWillie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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108. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to provide for pay restoration for persons working for publicly funded organisations that took pay cuts during the economic crisis; his views on whether staff should have their salaries restored on a parallel basis to civil servants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21711/18]

Photo of Peter BurkePeter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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313. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the negotiations regarding section 39 pay restoration for employees that were employed before 2008 in view of the 2017 Labour Court recommendations; the actions taken by the HSE, his Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to date regarding this set of employees; when a solution can be expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23098/18]

Photo of Barry CowenBarry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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410. To ask the Minister for Health if the results of the audit on pay restoration for section 39 organisations have been published; if not, when he plans to publish it; the engagement he has had with section 39 agencies in relation to this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23359/18]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 108, 313 and 410 together.

On 9 February 2018, an agreement was reached at the WRC between the Department of Health, the HSE and health sector Trade Unions in relation to a process aimed at resolving the pay restoration issue for staff employed by section 39 bodies.  While it is understood that pay savings were made by the organisations, the precise mix of pay cuts or other savings measures will have varied. Also, where there were pay cuts, it is not at all clear that they were applied in a universally consistent manner, as is the case in the public sector.

Therefore, the Government has put in place a process to establish a deeper understanding of the funding position in these grant - aided organisations and the true extent of the pay reductions applied. The Minister for Health asked the HSE to engage with the Section 39 organisations to establish the facts around what cuts were applied and how and when they were implemented.

On foot of agreement at the WRC, the interim data gathering exercise is being progressed. The HSE has shared a draft of the interim report, which covers a sample of 50 agencies identified in the WRC agreement, with the staff side. Upon receipt of feedback it will be finalised and issued formally to the DoH.  Initial indications are that of the 50 pilot sites, most did apply pay reductions and only some have commenced pay restoration.

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