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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 25 Mar 2003

Vol. 563 No. 4

Written Answers - Bacon Report Recommendations.

John Gormley

Question:

272 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards achieving the recommendations of the Bacon Report on Current and Future Supply and Demand Conditions in the Labour Market for Certain Professional Therapists published in March 2001; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7660/03]

As the Deputy will be aware, in May 2002 my predecessor, Deputy Woods, announced the provision of 175 additional therapy training places to tackle the shortage of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists as identified by the report Current and Future Supply and Demand Conditions in the Labour Market for Certain Professional Therapists, which was 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, which was established to ensure the provision of these extra places and which 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, Galway25 places – Bachelor of Science in Speech and Language Therapy

25 places – Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy

University of Limerick25 places – Master of Science in Speech and Language Therapy

25 places – Master of Science in Occupational Therapy

25 places – Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy

There was an intake to the new physiotherapy course at the University of Limerick in 2002. 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.

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