Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 December 2023
197. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on industrial action within the HSE which has halted a significant volume of written Parliamentary Questions in his Department from having their replies issued to the asking Deputy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54164/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, Management and Administration staff in the HSE, represented by Fórsa, began a work-to-rule on the 6th of October 2023, in response to a HSE recruitment pause in their category of staff. This industrial action, in the form of a work-to-rule, has been rolled out in a number of phases over the past number of weeks. The work-to-rule instructions, which have been issued to members by Fórsa, includes an instruction to not respond to Parliamentary Questions. I understand that all Parliamentary Questions are being compiled and filed appropriately by HSE officials to be managed, if necessary, at such time as the work-to-rule is lifted.
When Fórsa's Management and Admin work-to-rule began, the recruitment pause applied only to this category of staff. Since then, as the Deputy is aware, the pause has been extended to include most staff categories, excluding Consultant appointments and Graduate Nurses and Midwives and Doctors in formal approved Training Programmes.
Recruitment across the HSE has been very strong in 2023. The Government funded the HSE to recruit to over 6000 new posts in 2023 to support the development of services. The HSE has reached that target before the end of the year, and this is why a temporary pause has been put in place. If this level of growth was allowed to continue uncontrolled, the HSE would be significantly over the targeted and budgeted recruitment figure by year end which will have financial implications for 2023 and following years, and adversely impact on the HSE’s ability to recruit essential patient facing clinical staff. There is agreement to recruit further 2,268 new posts in 2024.
A series of engagements have taken place in the Workplace Relations Commission between the HSE, the Department of Health and Fórsa in an effort to resolve the dispute. Health management remain open to engaging with Fórsa and I urge Fórsa to stand down their industrial action in the interests of the health service.
