Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
621. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 2162 of 13 January 2026, whether her Department requires the HSE to provide recruitment and vacancy data to the Department on a standardised national template with consistent definitions across all regions; and if so, to provide the date such standardisation was introduced and the compliance arrangements in place. [13698/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE’s monthly Limits File provides D/Health with data on staffing levels for D/Health funded HSE services against an agreed annual recruitment ceiling.
The monthly staffing figures are derived from payroll data compiled by the HSE, whilst the recruitment ceiling for D/Health funded HSE services for 2026 is 136,606 Whole Time Equivalents (WTE). This ceiling is calculated by combining the number of staff in place at the end of December 2023 (126,442 WTE) with subsequent annual increases of 3,310 WTE in 2024, 3,554 WTE in 2025 and 3,300 WTE in 2026.
The annual increases in the staffing ceiling are agreed with the Department of Public Expenditure Infrastructure Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (DPEIPSRD) as part of the annual Budgetary Estimates process. This approach to setting an annual staffing ceiling was originally introduced in July 2024, as part of the trilateral funding settlement between the D/Health, HSE and DPEIPSRD.
Details of how the total recruitment ceiling for 2026 is split across the various Regional Health Authorities will be detailed in the HSE's 2026 Pay and Numbers Strategy.
