Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I refer specifically to the professions of occupational therapy and speech therapy. Over a period of time I have encountered difficulty in having work carried out under the housing aid for the elderly scheme, operated by the HSE. As we were not able to get an occupational therapist examination, report and recommendation, individual work and undertakings could not proceed because approval for the work was not forthcoming. On inquiry, I discovered that while we have a range of occupational therapists with a considerable volume of responsibility within the HSE organisation, many occupational therapists for various reasons are not at work and are not in a position to come to work to examine these cases.

Related disciplines may have expertise allowing them to examine, report and recommend solutions to specific problems. Where a ramp needs to be installed for somebody who is wheelchair-bound to give access to a front or back door, I fail to understand why the professional work could not be undertaken by an engineer who would be engaged by an agency or for a specific period by the HSE to fill the void during the period when the occupational therapists are not available and would examine, report and recommend so that the work could proceed.

It is not a question of resources not being available under the particular heading for the HSE. It has significant resources and is doing excellent work in this area. The Minister of State should ask the HSE to examine that possibility urgently. I do not accept that a qualified engineer could not carry out this work in a similar fashion to the occupational therapist. I accept that there are other responsibilities in the HSE on which engineers would not be to suitable to report and make recommendations.

In some two-storey houses a downstairs toilet needs to be installed. There is no reason an engineer could not recommend that the toilet facilities be provided downstairs because the occupant may use a Zimmer frame or wheelchair or be partially disabled in such a way that they are not able to negotiate the stairs.

Given the number of young females in both professions, occupational therapy and speech therapy, it is inevitable that they will occasionally be absent through pregnancy or illness. We need to have formulas to deal with these circumstances. I have already outlined the issues regarding occupational therapists. There are also delays in dealing with young children with special needs who require speech therapy. Insufficient numbers of speech therapists are available. It must be possible to organise, in conjunction with their parents, qualified speech therapists to co-ordinate and supervise services to provide the tuition these children require. This would be better than there being no speech therapy services available because there are not enough personnel to provide them. It may be that, at any given time, the HSE is not in a position to recruit a sufficient number of speech therapists. There must be a fall-back position.

I would be happy to discuss this matter with the Minister of State and the officials in the personnel unit of the HSE responsible for dealing with it. We must be practical and innovative and find solutions where they are required.

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