Vol. 577 No. 4
238 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason there is no specialist diabetes nurse available, particularly for type 1 diabetes, in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, to cover for holidays and other necessary periods of absence of the specialist nurse employed there; the steps being taken to replace the paediatrician with a special interest in diabetes who resigned recently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31543/03]
Responsibility for the provision of services at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda rests with the North-Eastern Health Board. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive of the board to examine this issue and to reply to the Deputy directly.
239 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make the necessary arrangements to provide speech and language therapy for persons attending Phoenix Park special school, Dublin; if he will address the cutbacks in the speech and language therapeutic service in St. James' Hospital which has one and a half persons instead of nine persons working in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31571/03]
Responsibility for the provision of services in the Dublin region lies with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive of the authority to investigate the matter and reply directly to the Deputy.
240 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Health and Children if speech and language therapy will be urgently provided to a person (details supplied) at Phoenix Park special school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31572/03]
Responsibility for the provision of care and treatment of the named individual rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has, therefore, asked the regional chief executive to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.
241 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will report on the number of speech and language therapists in the Eastern Regional Health Authority area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31574/03]
According to latest information available to my Department from the health service personnel census, there were a total of 193 speech and language therapists employed in the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, area in June 2003 in wholetime equivalent, WTE, terms. This represents an increase of 8%, or 15 WTEs, over the employment position at end-2001.
The Deputy should note that the regional chief executive of the ERHA is responsible for the management of the workforce in the ERHA area. This includes responsibility for the appropriate staffing mix and the precise grades of staff employed in line with service plan priorities, subject to overall employment levels remaining within the regional approved employment level.
242 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Health and Children if it is planned to extend the pilot scheme for sensory integrated therapy in view of the need for this here. [31658/03]
The provision of health related services, including therapy services, to people with physical and/or sensory disabilities is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards in the first instance. My Department is not aware of the pilot scheme for sensory integrated therapy. We will have the matter examined if more details are provided by the Deputy.
