Vol. 502 No. 3
371 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for Health and Children if the speech therapy requirements of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22 will be considered and consultations made with management in the Eastern Health Board area to determine if the required service can be provided; and his views on the wider issue of the availability of speech therapists within the Eastern Health Board. [8034/99]
372 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Health and Children if his Department can assist with the provision of speech therapy to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22. [8035/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 371 and 372 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of speech and language therapy services in the eastern region is the responsibility of the Eastern Health Board. As it would not be appropriate to provide the information sought by the Deputy in relation to the individual concerned by way of a parliamentary question, I have asked the health board to examine this matter and to respond directly to the Deputy.
The recruitment of additional multidisciplinary support staff, including speech and language therapists, for services to persons with disabilities in the eastern region is a matter for the Eastern Health Board in consultation with the Central Mental Handicap Planning Committee and the Physical and Sensory Disability Co-ordinating Committee in line with the priorities for service developments which have been identified for the region by these committees.
Following a Labour Court Recommendation in 1997, an expert group has been established to examine and report on various issues relating to paramedical grades, including speech and language therapists. One of the issues to be examined by this group is the problems which arise in relation to the recruitment and the retention of various paramedical grades. It is anticipated that the report of this group will be completed later this year.
