It is not the policy of the Government to reduce the total number of public health nurses employed in the community. My Department has recently given approval and funding to the Eastern Health Board to recruit an additional seven public health nurses to work with the community mothers programme.
Under my Department's current personnel policy, each agency has responsibility for identifying manpower requirements. Proposals for the filling of new and replacement posts are reviewed on a monthly basis by my Department. This review is undertaken having regard to service and personnel criteria in the context of the priority afforded to each post by the agency concerned and with particular regard to the availability of financial resources. While these arrangements require agencies to submit all proposed permanent appointments to my Department, there has been no delay in clearing appointments in agencies which are operating within their approved financial and employment parameters. There are no outstanding public health nurse posts awaiting clearance by my Department for the Eastern Health Board.
