asked the Minister for Health (a) the names of local authorities who have no physiotherapist employed, (b) the period since one was last employed and (c) the reason why this is so.
Ceisteanna—Questions, Oral Answers. - Local Authority Physiotherapists.
4.
It is presumed that the question refers to present vacancies in approved posts and the duration of such vacancies.
The information sought is not available in my Department. I am making inquiries and will furnish the particulars, when available, to the Deputy.
5.
asked the Minister for Health the salary scale of physiotherapists in local authority employment; the date of their last increase; and the amount of their last increase.
6.
asked the Minister for Health what extra remuneration is paid to a physiotherapist who is required to look after several hundred patients on her own over a whole county council area.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos 5 and 6 together.
Current salary scales for the three grades of physiotherapist in the local health authority services are as follows; Basic Grade, £850×£34—£1,210; Senior Physiotherapist, £1,025×£36— £1,277×£43—£1,320; Physiotherapist-in-Charge, £1,135×£36—£1,387×£38 —£1,425.
The most recent increase—that is, the second phase of the 11th Round— was approved on 15th October last and amount to £65 a year effective from 1st June, 1969.
The appropriate salary scale for an individual physiotherapist is decided by her grading. If the Deputy would be kind enough to send me details of the special case he has in mind I shall be happy to investigate the matter.
I thank the Minister for the information and the courteous reply he has given but is he satisfied that the present salary scale for physiotherapists is sufficient to secure and maintain a supply of them in the country?
We are examining the question of the supply and the number of persons taking up the course in physiotherapy. There are some 72 approved whole-time posts for physiotherapists in 22 health authorities and the remaining five have 23 sessional appointments on a temporary basis. I have no evidence that physiotherapists are in very short supply so far as health work is concerned. A limited number of qualified physiotherapists are available but we shall be looking into the general position in connection with training and so on.
Would the Minister not agree that those who are here at present are doing an excellent job because they are giving new hope to the disabled and to a good many old people and——
It is a most important service.
——that it would be a pity if we were to reach the same stage as in the case of the dentists and that we did not realise that they were being underpaid until there were so few left that it was not worth worrying about? Would the Minister look at that aspect of the matter?
I shall.