Gabrielle McFadden (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister, although I do not agree with all the points he made. Athlone Institute of Technology has received significant professional support from the audiology community, North and South, in taking the initiative in 2010 to offer a degree programme. It should be noted that Athlone Institute of Technology filled a gap that needed to be filled by offering the only full-time BSc audiology course in the country.

As the Minister is aware, from a demand point of view, there is a long waiting list for audiology services for both adults and children. I spoke recently to an extremely upset mother whose two and a half year old child had waited 21 months for an audiology appointment before being told that the service could not be provided because no audiologists were available.

At the end of October 2014, an expert independent evaluation report found that the Athlone Institute of Technology programme was on a par with the standards of similar courses in the United Kingdom and other international programmes. The report identified 22 reasons the AIT degree course met the required standards and concluded that its graduates in audiology would be more than able to fulfil any role available in this area. The previous Minister for Health was very impressed with the audiology department in AIT when he visited. I hope the current Minister will keep this matter under review.

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