Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I wish to raise with the Minister of State the wide disparity in average waiting times in the Dublin area for 4,136 children who urgently require speech and language therapy services which vary from as low as three months in Dublin North-Central to 31 months in south Dublin and 32 months in Dublin west.

I have been following up on this matter now for more than 12 months. The situation in the south Dublin area, which includes my constituency, is going from bad to worse. It is extraordinary in that in the Dublin area there are 4,136 children urgently seeking speech and language therapy. The number involved is frightening when one considers the consequences for each child who does not receive early attention.

The Bacon report, published six years ago, recommended that the number of speech and language therapists be increased four-fold to 100 per annum to attain a total of 12,085 therapists by 2015. Those who have qualified are not being employed on the basis that they have no experience. I do not understand how a person can gain experience without being given the opportunity to do so. As a consequence, a number of young children in particular are waiting substantial periods for treatment.

I raised on the Adjournment in January or February this year the situation in respect of a five year old child living in my constituency. I contacted the HSE about this child on 10 November last and was told that having waited 12 months for assessment he had been assessed as an urgent case but that it would be at least a year before he obtained treatment. Children are having to wait one year to be assessed and, having been assessed as in need of urgent treatment, must wait another year for it.

In April, I decided to follow up on the matter to get the latest position in respect of this child. I received a reply which stated that things were worse and that it would be at least another 12 months before got treatment. Despite this child having been assessed as an urgent case, he will have to wait 18 months for treatment.

In Dublin North-Central, there is a three month waiting period for assessment with 207 children on the waiting list. In south Dublin, which includes Dun Laoghaire, there are 598 children on a waiting list and the waiting period is 31 months. These figures were supplied to me by the HSE. I cannot understand this. In Dublin west, for example, the waiting period is 32 months. Surely, something can be done about children five years old and upwards having to wait for up to 31 months at a minimum before they receive treatment. I hope the Minister of State can explain to me this evening on what basis such disparity exists.

See this speech in context