asked the Minister for Health, in view of the fact that there were five applicants for early retirement among the nursing staff at a home (details supplied) in County Kerry and only two redundancies granted, if his Department issued any directive or advice to the Southern Health Board as to the way in which the two being granted should be chosen, from the five applicants; if his Department directed that the redundancy-early retirement be granted to the two nurses with the longest service-grade; if his Department directed that it be granted to the two nurses with the longest employment with the Southern Health Board; and whether the criteria used in the case of the two nurses who were granted redundancy-early retirement were the same as those in other hospitals within the Southern Health Board region and in other health board regions.
Written Answers. - Early Retirement-Redundancies.
65.
Agencies were informed that in instances where more applications for early retirement were received than it was possible to facilitate in a particular grade regard should be had to the date of application and to the length of service.
I understand that in the case referred to by the Deputy, the Southern Health Board selected staff for early retirement on the basis of their length of service with the board. My Department were not directly involved in the selection process.