Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 February 2026
568. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance framework within her Department for oversight of the Public Only Consultant Contract since its introduction in March 2023; including the responsible Division; the senior accountable official, the reporting frequency; and the titles and dates of any oversight reports received by her since that date. [15903/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI thank the Deputy for the question.
Oversight of the Public Only Consultant Contract (POCC) is managed within the National Employee and Industrial Relations Unit of the Department of Health. The Assistant Secretary with responsibility for that Unit, Ms Louise McGirr, is the senior accountable official for this area.
The Department receives monthly updates from the HSE on the operation of the contract. These include the number of new entrant consultants appointed under the POCC and the number of existing consultants who have transferred to the contract. A more detailed report is also provided, setting out uptake by hospital site and by specialty.
In addition, the Minister meets each of the HSE Regions on a biannual basis, during which the implementation of the POCC at hospital level is one of the topics discussed. These engagements provide insight into how the contract is being used to support improved public services and allow progress towards 5/6 and increased evening rostering to be monitored.
I trust this information will be of use to the Deputy.
