asked the Minister for Health the percentage change in the number of (a) administrative staff employed in health boards and in his Department and (b) doctors and nurses employed in hospitals over the past year.
Written Answers - Health Boards Staff.
16.
The information sought by the Deputy is not at this time readily available in respect of the health agencies. It must be appreciated that the operation of the redundancy-early retirement package in recent months has had an impact on the statistics and an analysis of the present position is now in train. I will communicate with the Deputy as soon as possible.
So far as the Department are concerned, the actual number of people employed at present is 344 — the same as at 31 January 1987. However, the actual numbers employed at 31 January 1987 when compared with 31 January 1988 do not provide for any valid basis of comparison. Vacancies arising have been dealt with in accordance with the embargo requirements. However, the Department have and will be taking on additional work hitherto carried on by statutory agencies, for example, the Health Education Bureau and the National Social Service Board and staff have been and will be redeployed to cope with that work.