Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 April 2011
156 Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Health and Children the situation regarding the number of vacancies currently available in the Health Service Executive for speech and language therapists; and the extent to which there will be employment possibilities for them in Ireland in the future. [8677/11]
View answerThe Employment Control Framework for the Health Sector 2011-2014 provides exemptions for a number of specific grades from the general moratorium on recruitment and promotion. It provides that vacant Speech and Language Therapist posts may be filled. In addition, the Framework also provides for the creation of a combined total of 380 speech & language therapist, physiotherapist and occupational therapist posts, in addition to the December 2009 level for these grades.
The HSE has informed me that it is recruiting speech & language therapists in order to meet the requirements of integrated health care delivery and particularly to address needs in the community. In 2009, the HSE employed 776.46 WTE speech and language therapists. By the end of 2010, this figure had increased by 62.45 WTE, making a total of almost 839 WTE. In 2011, an additional 17 WTE speech and language therapists have been recruited up to March, making a 10.3% increase since December 2009.
