The Revised Estimates for Public Services 2006 provides €6.85 billion (or 58% of the Vote total) for gross Exchequer Pay and Pensions for the Health Service Executive (HSE). In addition, when account is taken of pay costs of approximately €1.3 billion associated with grants paid to voluntary bodies from the HSE Vote, the total pay costs amount to €8.143 billion or 69% of the total current provision of €11.814 billion for the HSE.
In relation to the breakdown between administrative and clinical staff, the Deputy may wish to note that I have repeatedly stressed the need for safeguarding and indeed enhancing the delivery of front line services and achieving an appropriate balance between clinical and non-clinical employment levels in the health service. This has been underlined by my Department in direct discussions with the HSE's senior management team and in the context of the finalisation of the Executive's National Service Plan for 2006. I believe that there is a general consensus that the organisation of human resources is critical to good service delivery. The proper management of employment levels and skill mix together with the prioritisation of front line services is of course central to the organisation of human resources and is the most effective mechanism for ensuring the best use of resources overall within the health service. Indeed it has previously been estimated by the Directors of Human Resources of the former Health Boards that as far as the balance between frontline and administrative staff is concerned, almost two-thirds of health services personnel nominally classified as "management/ administrative" are involved in direct service provision to the public.