asked the Minister for Health whether it is the policy of his Department to sanction payment of the minimum scale of salary applicable to the permanent office in respect of locum tenens, in view of the difficulty in obtaining locum tenens for district medical officers and other local authority medical officers.
Ceisteanna-Questions Oral Answers. - Salaries of Locum Tenens for Medical Officers.
1.
The remuneration of officers appointed on a temporary basis by health authorities is a matter for those authorities in the first instance.
Where a health authority seeks to appoint a locum tenens for an officer such as a district medical officer remunerated by a scale salary, the normal practice of many years standing is to appoint the locum at the minimum of the scale, and proposals of health authorities to that effect are approved by me.
Is the Minister aware that a number of local authorities are not paying a salary related to the minimum basic salary and that the majority of local authorities are? Would he make inquiries from the local authorities concerned as to the reason why they are not prepared to pay the minimum to locum tenens?
I am not aware of it but if the Deputy has any information to that effect I shall be glad to receive it from him.