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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 16 Apr 2003

Vol. 565 No. 4

Written Answers. - Professional Therapy Services.

Joe Higgins

Question:

86 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science the steps his Department is taking to implement in full and immediately the recommendations contained in the 2001 Bacon Report, entitled Current and Future Supply and Demand Conditions in the Labour Market for Certain Professional Therapists, as it applies to physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. [11183/03]

Joe Higgins

Question:

87 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science the way in which his Department intends to tackle the crisis in the supply of therapists for people with special needs in the short-term, given that even the full and immediate implementation of the recommendations contained in the 2001 Bacon Report on therapists would not solve shortages in these therapy areas until 2015. [11184/03]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 86 and 87 together.

In May 2002 my predecessor, Deputy Michael Woods, announced the provision of 175 additional therapy training places to tackle the shortage of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. The shortage was identified by the report on professional therapists undertaken by Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates in 2001. The announcement followed on the work of an interagency working group comprising representatives from my Department, the Department of Health and Children and the Higher Education Authority. The group was established to ensure the provision of these extra places. It considered proposals received from a number of third level institutions for the expansion of existing courses and-or the introduction of new courses, including graduate entry programmes. The distribution of the additional places is as follows:

University College Cork,
National University of Ireland – Cork
25 places – Bachelor of Science in Speech and Language Therapy
25 places – Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy
National University of Ireland, Galway
25 places – Bachelor of Science in Speech and Language Therapy
25 places – Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy
University of Limerick
25 places – Master of Science in Speech and Language Therapy
25 places – Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
25 places – Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy
In 2002 there was an intake to the new physiotherapy course at the University of Limerick. Preparatory arrangements, including the recruitment of necessary staff, are being made by the institutions concerned to enable first intakes to the other additional courses to commence in 2003. These increases are in addition to previous increases in the number of places provided by institutions with existing courses in the 2000-01 and 2001-02 academic years, in response to a request by the Higher Education Authority to expand provision in light of perceived shortages.
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