Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government has identified this as a very important area for further investment and money is available for investment to deal with the waiting lists for children, particularly those under five years of age. There are major inconsistencies in the waiting times around the country. There is a real problem in respect of recruitment. The money will be available over the course of this year to deal with those waiting lists but the Minister informs me that there are a number of difficulties in terms of the actual recruitment of speech therapists and occupational therapists. I hope that people who have gone abroad can be persuaded to return and that people will take up those posts because it is an extremely important service. We are committed to developing this service and ensuring that waiting times are reduced and that the service is available in a timely way to children.

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