Vol. 404 No. 6
188 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health the number of (1) public health nurses, (2) social workers, (3) speech therapists, (4) physiotherapists and (5) occupational therapists, available to public patients in each health board area; and the way in which these compare per head of population.
As the Deputy is aware, the Programme for Economic and Social Progress includes a commitment to investment of substantial additional funding, both capital and non-capital, in the development of community based and associated health services.
In the first instance, it is a matter for each health board to draw up plans for the development of services in their area. While the implementation of these plans will undoubtedly require additional employment in the disciplines referred to, it is not possible to make reliable predictions at this stage.
There will be a specific emphasis placed on the development of community based and other services for the elderly, the psychiatrically ill and the mentally and physically handicapped populations. The pace will be dictated by the capacity of the economy to support such development, within the overall framework outlined in the programme.
