Vol. 571 No. 1
1006 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the action he intends to take to address the staffing shortages in County Roscommon in the areas of occupational, speech and physiotherapies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21207/03]
Responsibility for human resource planning rests with the chief executive officer, chief executive officer, of each board. Each chief executive officer in managing the workforce in his or her region is responsible for determining the appropriate staffing mix and the precise grades of staff to be employed in line with service plan priorities, subject to overall employment levels remaining within the approved regional employment ceiling. In particular, responsibility for the employment of occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and physiotherapists in County Roscommon rests with the Western Health Board. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.
