Subject to overall parameters set by Government, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has responsibility for determining the composition of its staffing complement. In that regard, it is a matter for the Executive to manage and deploy its human resources to best meet the requirements of its Annual Service Plan for the delivery of health and personal social services to the public. I wish to advise the Deputy that due to industrial action affecting the Health Service Executive, it is not possible for the Executive to supply information in relation to services at the hospitals referred to by him. If this matter remains of continuing concern to you, however, I would invite you to raise it with me again in due course.
Government policy is to increase consultant numbers in the hospital sector with a related decrease in NCHD numbers. The moratorium on recruitment in the health sector is framed so as to provide the necessary level of flexibility to support the implementation of this policy. I understand that the Executive, in order to ensure adequate NCHD staffing levels and continued service delivery, has established a Human Resources and Integrated Services Directorate Group to examine these issues. This Group is currently working on initiatives to ensure that services will continue to be available when the new rotations commence in July 2010. My Department is currently, in conjunction with the Department of Justice Equality and Law Reform; the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment and the HSE, reviewing visa and work permit arrangements for NCHDs in order to facilitate their recruitment and retention.