Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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170. To ask the Minister for Health the role he and his Department have had in the imposition of the recruitment embargo in the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29518/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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There has been an unprecedented level of investment by this Government in the health service workforce in recent years, including an additional €1.5bn funding in 2024, a planned €1.2bn increase in the health budget in 2025 and regularisation of over 4,000 previously unfunded posts into core funding going forward.

As of August 2024, there were 27,901 more staff working in our health service than there were at the beginning of 2020, an increase of 23% including 9,375 nurses and midwives; 4,092 health and social care professionals; and 3,330 doctors and dentists.

In 2023, the HSE was funded to recruit 6,000 staff, It actually hired 8,239, exceeding its funded workforce targets by more than 2,200 staff.

While the increase in our workforce has been incredibly positive and has enabled significant improvements in service delivery and reductions in waiting times for patients, it is important that the HSE operates within budgeted levels and that prudent controls are in place to ensure the workforce growth is managed in an affordable and sustainable manner.

In addition to agreement on additional funding and regularisation of the 4,000 unfunded posts in core funding, finalisation of the HSE’s Pay and Numbers Strategy for 2024 introduced a new approved maximum employment ceiling for all Hospitals and CHOs within the HSE of 129,753 (excludes Disability) in 2024.

Provision has also been made for the HSE to recruit an additional 4,210 WTE in 2024 (3,310 funded by Dept. of Health and 900WTE funded by DCEDIY).

These newly agreed limits and the regularization of previously unfunded posts has removed the obstacle to normal recruitment and replacement in the remainder of the workforce, resulting in the immediate lifting of the recruitment pause.

Each Health Regions/National Services have each been provided with their own limits in which to operate and each Regional Executive Officer/National Director will have the ability to prioritise recruitment and replacement within their approved number as appropriate

This is a new operational model aimed at enabling service areas to prioritise service provision and maintain financial controls within each region. A Health Region or National Service will be able to prioritise filling vacancies that may arise within the allocation. They can also re-prioritise should they wish and remain adaptive, within overall national policy and guidance.