Patrick Nulty
Ceist:250. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 508 of 18 June 2013, in regard to the long waiting times for occupational therapy in the Dublin 15 area, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Health Service Executive has stated that there are currently 170 children on the clinic waiting list with the longest waiting time of 40 weeks; if he is aware that since February of this year, the staffing numbers in the paediatric team have been reduced by four staff and as a result it is not possible to offer appointments to children; if he is further aware that this may also result in a child being seen in a clinic but not being seen for further assessment for possibly 18 months afterwards and that only children who have been accepted into the service and children seen through an assessment of need are being seen; if he will take steps as a matter of acute urgency to lift the recruitment moratorium in this case to ensure that cover will immediately be provided while the service is awaiting staff to return from maternity leave; if he will also take steps as a matter of acute urgency to lift the recruitment moratorium in this regard to ensure that other vacancies in the occupational therapy department can be immediately recruited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33837/13]
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