Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have raised the issue of speech therapists and occupational therapists previously and the programme for Government contains a very ambitious agenda in the context of increasing numbers in this regard. In my constituency and in many places throughout the country, there is a serious crisis. Families and children - particularly children on the autism spectrum - cannot access adequate speech or occupational therapy services. When will the Government seek to get to the place it intends to reach? The last time I raised the matter in the House with the Tánaiste, Deputy Fitzgerald, she said the problem was that there were not enough people to fill the posts. When I checked with the HSE, I discovered that there are hundreds of occupational therapists and speech therapists on panels. What is missing is approval from the Department to hire those people.

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