Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 11 Dec 2001

Vol. 546 No. 3

Written Answers. - Speech Therapy Service.

Michael Noonan

Question:

203 Mr. Noonan asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make funding directly available to a school (details supplied) in County Limerick to recruit a full-time speech and language therapist without the assistance of the local health board; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this has been done successfully in a school for children with special needs in Ennis, County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31520/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

Provision of speech and language therapy to schools in Counties Limerick and Clare is a matter in the first instance for the Mid-Western Health Board. I have been informed by the board that speech and language therapy to schools is provided as part of the speech and language therapy service to children. This service is provided directly by the board or through the voluntary agencies who are contracted by the health board.

The health board funds the Clare Federation for the Mentally Handicapped to provide certain services in County Clare. Part of this service includes the provision of speech and language therapy services for two special schools, St. Anne's and St. Clare's.

Due to the nationwide shortage of speech and language therapists, the Mid-Western Health Board has a number of vacancies, including the post in the school in County Limerick which the Deputy mentions. This has a significant impact on the board's ability to provide speech and language therapy services to children including those attending special schools. Every effort has been made to fill this and other posts in the area, both nationally and in the UK. The recruitment campaigns have been unsuccessful.

In response to my concern regarding current severe labour shortages affecting the therapy professions nationwide, my Department commissioned a report from Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates on current and future supply and demand conditions in the labour market for certain professional therapists including speech and language therapists. The study, a comprehensive quantitative assessment of workforce requirement for qualified personnel in these areas to 2015, was published on 25 July last. The report concludes that a major expansion is essential in the numbers of therapy professionals over the next 15 years including a fourfold increase in speech and language therapists.

This will require a significant increase in training places with a recommended annual increase of 75 course places for speech and language therapy. Other key recommendations of the report include: the provision of sufficient clinical placements within the health service through the establishment of a national network of clinical placement co-ordinators; the need for fast-track qualification and review of the existing training system; the need for concerted recruitment from overseas; the establishment of the planned system of statutory registration consistent with the requirement for a patient-centred health service; and career structure, workload, working practices and skills-mix issues encompassed in the context of the report of the expert group on various health professions published in April 2000.

I am working closely with my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, to ensure the rapid provision of the additional places as an urgent priority. To this end an inter-agency working group has been established comprising representatives of my Department, the Department of Education and Science and the Higher Education Authority, HEA. The Higher Education Authority has initiated a formal bidding process between third level educational institutions to respond to the training needs identified in the study.