Vol. 562 No. 2
211 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of speech and language therapists employed by the Eastern Regional Health Authority, South-Western Area Health Board, North Area Health Board and the ECAHB; the number of vacancies in each board; the plans his Department has to rectify the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5849/03]
The number of speech and language therapists, wholetime equivalents, employed in the Eastern Regional Health Authority area and the three constituent boards at 31 December 2001 is detailed in the following table. Information in respect of 31 December 2002 is being compiled by my Department.
|
Health Board Region |
Total WTE |
|
Eastern Regional Health Authority(includes Voluntary Hospitals and Intellectual Disability Sector) |
178 |
|
East Coast Area Health Board |
24 |
|
Northern Area Health Board |
20 |
|
South-West Area Health Board |
31 |
212 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of private speech and language therapists employed by the East Coast Area Health Board for each of the past two years; if the board hired such private therapists, the reason the position in St. Mark's, Southfield was not addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5850/03]
Responsibility for the provision of speech and language therapy services in this instance rests with the East Coast Area Health Board. My Department has therefore asked the acting chief executive of the East Coast Area Health Board to examine the matters raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.
213 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason the East Coast Health Board has not advertised the positions of speech and language therapists for St. Mark's Junior School in Tallaght, in view of the fact that it knew of the vacancies since June 2002 when the vacancies occurred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5851/03]
214 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that two special language classes at St. Mark's School in Tallaght have been without speech therapy teachers since June 2002 and that advertisements for the two positions have not yet been placed; the plans his Department has to overcome these difficulties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5852/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 214 together.
The provision of health related services, including speech and language therapy at local community care level, is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards in the first instance. Accordingly, the Deputy's question has been referred to the Regional Chief Executive of the Eastern Regional Health Authority with a request that he examine the matter and reply directly to the Deputy as a matter of urgency. However, I understand that all health boards are experiencing difficulties in the recruitment of therapy posts and particularly in filling senior vacancies.
Furthermore, I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department commissioned a report on current and future supply and demand in the labour market for certain professional therapists from Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates. The Bacon report, which was published in July 2001, concluded that a major expansion is essential in the number of speech and language therapists requiring a very significant increase in training places to meet the long-term needs of the health service.
To advance this core recommendation of the report, an inter-agency working group, comprising officials from the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Education and Science and the Higher Education Authority, was established to seek proposals from third level institutions to ensure the rapid provision of the additional therapy training places. On 29 May 2002 the former Minister for Education and Science, Dr. Michael Woods, TD, announced the provision of 175 extra professional therapy training places for students to tackle the acute shortage of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists in the health service. This initiative almost doubles the number of therapy places available at present and it is expected that the first intake to the extra places for speech and language therapy will commence in the 2003-04 academic year.
