Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

The senior speech and language therapist assigned to Rowlagh health centre resigned in November 2007. At the time, the HSE had in place what it referred to as a recruitment pause — in other words, there was an embargo on recruitment for positions that fell vacant — and it did not allow the vacant speech and language therapist position to be filled. This embargo was lifted on 31 December but the HSE determined that it would not fill any posts that became vacant while the embargo was in place. The post is still vacant and there are no plans by the HSE to fill it.

I received a reply from the HSE, when my question was referred to it recently, which stated that the only way it could fill the position was if another post became vacant and it suppressed that post. In other words, some other post would have to be deliberately left unfilled for this vacant speech and language therapist position to be filled.

With regard to the impact of this decision, the therapist provided therapy to children in the north Clondalkin area. Children from six primary schools in the area were on waiting lists to see her. Before she resigned, there was a waiting list of 18 months for the service but now there is no service. As the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, may know, there are Early Start programmes in the schools in this area because they are designated as disadvantaged. The children are from disadvantaged backgrounds. Their parents are not well off. The purpose of the Early Start programme introduced by the then Minister, Niamh Bhreathnach, was to provided targeted intervention to identify the needs of these children at an early stage in their education. They have been part of the Early Start programme but the speech therapy they have been identified as requiring will now not be provided to them. After all the investment in the Early Start programme and its success, the basic services are not being provided to these pupils. I have raised the issue previously.

One of the notions being peddled is that there are not enough speech therapists. I made inquiries today and thanks to a Government initiative there are now 100 graduates in speech therapy each year because the additional 75 places were being filled. Most of those people will not be able to get work in Ireland, however, because of the embargo on filling speech therapist positions in the health service and in the public service. After all the money invested in their education, they are now in the position where they cannot get jobs here and important speech therapist vacancies that are needed are not being filled. That is ridiculous.

I do not know what the Minister of State will say, on behalf of the Minister, in her reply but when I raised this matter previously I was told the matter was one for the HSE and that it is responsible for human resources and filling posts but the HSE is implementing these cutbacks in positions because of the Government's requirement to keep within budget. As is the case with the cuts in respite care services, it is the most vulnerable who are affected. On this occasion children in disadvantaged areas who have been identified as being in need of speech therapy are being affected.

It is not the HSE that has the ultimate responsibility to care for the vulnerable in terms of the delivery of our health services. It is the Minister for Health and Children and she should intervene to ensure the HSE does not leave these vital speech therapist positions unfilled. The HSE is opting for the easy targets in terms of its cutbacks but the Minister is turning a blind eye to what it is doing. The people affected are in her constituency and she should intervene and ensure the HSE fills this position as a matter of urgency.

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