In response to concerns regarding labour shortages, my Department commissioned a report from Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates on current and future supply and demand conditions to 2015 in the labour market for speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. The report was published in 2001 and arising from its recommendations an additional physiotherapy course providing 25 places was established in the University of Limerick in 2002.
Responsibility for the management of human resource issues, including recruitment of staff, lies with the Health Service Executive (HSE) under the Health Act 2004. I am advised by the HSE that in June 2006 its representatives, including Therapy Managers, visited all third level colleges providing therapy training courses to meet with potential graduates including physiotherapy. A central employment applications system was set up and applications forwarded to each health region in line with the applicants first and second preferences. A full review is now underway by the HSE to ascertain the employment status of the successful graduates and this will be completed shortly.
The Deputy may wish to note that the arrangements for undergraduate degree-level medical education are a matter, in the first instance, for the Minister for Education and Science. In January 2006, the Government endorsed the introduction of a graduate entry stream to medicine (parallel to the existing CAO route) as proposed in the Report of the Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education and Training (Fottrell Report). The report was jointly published in February 2006 by the Department of Education and Science and my Department. I understand that a "Call for Proposals" to institutions interested in providing graduate entry degree programmes is to be issued shortly by the Higher Education Authority. The introduction of a graduate entry stream – the first intake to which is planned for 2007 – will provide opportunities for graduates (including physiotherapy graduates) to apply for admission to medical education degree programmes.