Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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247. To ask the Minister for Health the name and location of each section 38 and section 39 organisation; the number of staff employed at that location and their grades; and the disparity between those staff and directly employed HSE staff at the same grade, in tabular form. [47690/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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248. To ask the Minister for Health if he will inform this Deputy whether he will meet trade union representatives on the issue of pay equality for section 39 workers. [47691/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Department acknowledges the important role that Section 39 organisations and staff play in our health sector. They have a key role in providing services to older people and people with disabilities.

While the Government does provide assistance, under Section 39 of the Health Act 2004, to organisations that provide services similar or ancillary to services that the HSE may provide, it must be acknowledged that these organisations are privately owned and run and that their terms and conditions of employment, once in line with employment legislation, are strictly between private sector employers and their employees.

These organisations were not and are not party to the Public Service Agreements. Consequently, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on pay or terms and conditions of employment within the private sector.