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Departmental Staff.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 November 2004

Tuesday, 9 November 2004

Ceisteanna (119)

Richard Bruton

Ceist:

176 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of nurses who are employed in the health service on permanent contracts and the number who are employed on temporary contracts; the criteria for issuing permanent postings; if she has satisfied herself that high reliance on temporary posting is satisfactory either from the point of view of health delivery or from the point of view of offering nurses a secure career path; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28090/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Information is provided by the health boards or Eastern Regional Health Authority on a quarterly basis for the health service personnel census. The following table provides a breakdown of the employment status of nurses on 30 June 2004.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

Total WTE excl. career break

WTE Permanent

WTE Job-Sharing Permanent

WTE Temporary

WTE Part-time

WTE Sessional

WTE Training

WTE Locum

33,969

22,588

2,383

4,313

2,062

1,035

1,012

576

Note: Columns A and B are permanent employees. Column C are temporary employees. A breakdown between permanent and temporary is not available for columns D to G.

The chief executive officer of each health board or authority is responsible for the management of the workforce in his or her region, including decisions on the type of contract, permanent or temporary, under which staff are employed.

Temporary nurses have always been a feature of the health service and the employment of such qualified staff is not considered detrimental to service delivery. There are a number of reasons that some nurses are employed on a temporary basis in the public health service. Temporary nurses may replace permanent nurses who are absent from their post while on career break, maternity leave, adoptive leave, parental leave and so forth; overseas nurses may initially be employed on temporary contracts; recent nursing graduates are usually employed in a temporary capacity for the first 12 months of employment; and some nurses choose to remain on temporary contracts rather than apply for permanent positions.

Temporary nurses are eligible to apply for permanent posts as they arise. The Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003 ensures that temporary employees are not treated less favourably than colleagues who have permanent appointments. The Act also provides that temporary employees in their fourth or subsequent year of continuous employment are in most cases entitled to permanent status.

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