Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 1 Jul 1999

Vol. 507 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Language Units.

Mr. Naughten

I raise the issue of a language unit for Roscommon because Roscommon is the only county in the Western Health Board area which does not have a language unit. There are language units in every county in the Midland Health Board and North-Eastern Health Board regions. County Westmeath has three units, County Meath has three and County Louth has two.

Approximately 70 children of school age in County Roscommon are known to have a specific language disorder, or dyspraxia. Some pre-school children also have these disorders. Many of these children are in mainstream schools and receive speech and language therapy in community service clinics. Most are seen approximately once a fortnight.

A number of children from the southern half of County Roscommon attend St. Mary's national school in Athlone. These children receive speech therapy through the language unit in the school, which is in the Midland Health Board area. The children have been told that the Midland Health Board will no longer provide this service because the board receives no funding from the Western Health Board. The Western Health Board is not prepared to provide the necessary funding and the children have been told that the service will not resume next September. These children are placed in an impossible position and their parents are now presented with a very big problem. I ask the Minister to ensure that funding is provided in the short-term so that this service can continue in St. Mary's national school in Athlone.

In the longer term, funding must be provided in the next 12 months to provide a proper language unit in County Roscommon. The geography of County Roscommon makes it imperative that two language units be provided, one for the southern half of the county and one for the northern half. We know of 70 children who require speech and language therapy and there may be others who are being catered for by other services. Children are receiving speech therapy in the language units in County Galway and County Mayo.

The lack of resources for speech therapy is creating a great problem in County Roscommon. The available therapists are required to travel unacceptable distances to various clinics and children suffer as a result. We need resources for an additional speech therapist. We need two language units and we must guarantee that a service will be provided for the children in St. Mary's national school, Athlone, in September next. Otherwise parents will be obliged to take their children out of school to attend speech and language therapy sessions elsewhere. Parents throughout the county are obliged to do this at present. The provision of a language centre in the county would allow children to receive therapy as part of their mainstream education.

Language units have been successful in many parts of the country. Roscommon is one of only three or four counties which do not have a language unit. It is unacceptable that children should be taken out of their own schools to receive speech and language therapy. I hope the Minister can clarify the position with regard to St. Mary's national school.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Dr. Moffatt)

I thank Deputy Naughten for giving me the opportunity to outline the position concerning this matter.

The thrust of the Government's policy regarding people with disabilities is to provide the supports necessary to enable each individual to live in the community with the maximum possible degree of independence. I assure the Deputy that there is no lack of commitment to ensuring that the health services for people with disabilities are developed in a comprehensive manner. Since coming to office, the Government has underscored this commitment by the investment of additional funding totalling almost £38 million for services in the sensory and physical disability sector and £53 million for services in the mental handicap sector.

Within months of coming to office, the Government provided £10 million by way of once off grants and Supplementary Estimates to the physical and sensory disability sector for the elimination of deficits accumulated by voluntary agencies and for the provision of aids and appliances.

In 1998 a total of £8.4 million was allocated to the maintenance and development of services in the sector. Of this, £2.4 million was devoted to eliminating core underfunding of existing services, £3 million was for capital projects, of which £1 million was for aids and appliances and the remaining £3 million was allocated to health boards for the development of services.

Of the £3 million for the development of services, almost half was used to create 50 new posts in health boards, such as speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and public health nurses.

This year a total of £13.4 million, rising to £16.4 million in the year 2000, has been allocated to the maintenance and development of services for people with physical and sensory disabilities. Of this, £6.4 million is for the elimination of underfunding of existing services, £3 million, which increases to £6 million full year cost in the year 2000, is for development and £4 million is for capital developments. In addition, £2 million has been committed this year to a major building project by one of the main voluntary sector service providers.

In the two years since taking office, my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, has provided almost £91 million by way of additional funding for the maintenance and development of health services in these two sectors providing services to people with disabilities.

This year the Western Health Board received an additional £670,000 to help eliminate the underfunding of existing physical and sensory disability services in its area. A further £300,000 was provided towards the development of these services and £300,000 was provided for capital developments in support of service developments.

With regard to the matter raised by the Deputy, the development of services in County Roscommon is a matter for the Western Health Board in consultation with its regional co-ordinating committee for physical and sensory disability services. I understand that the Western Health Board is currently examining a proposal for the development of language unit facilities in Roscommon and early indications are that two units would be required, one in the north of the county and one in the south.

In the meantime, I understand that speech and language therapy services are provided by the Midland Health Board to four children from the Roscommon area at its facilities in Athlone. I am advised that a further two children from Roscommon are seeking these services in Athlone and it is expected that arrangements to provide these services will be agreed between the Midland Health Board and the Western Health Board by the end of July.

Health boards are experiencing difficulties in recruiting paramedical staff including speech and language therapists. Following a Labour Court recommendation in 1997, an expert group was established to examine and report on various issues relating to paramedical grades. It is antici pated that the report of this group will be completed later this year. Health service employers have given a commitment to establish formal links with colleges and the professions involved. My Department, together with the Health Services Employers Agency, is examining how best to approach the issues to ensure that the views of all concerned are heard.

In conclusion, the commitment of the Government and the Miniser for Health and Children to developing services for people with disabilities has been demonstrated by the investment of more than £91 million in the past two years.