Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response but it is not sufficient. His waiting list figures are wrong. The person who spoke to me pointed out that a part-time OT has a responsibility to see eight new cases per month. There are 350 children waiting to be seen. Simple mathematics shows that it takes four and a half years for a child on that list to be seen. The Minister of State says there is a recruitment process to fill one vacancy, which is welcome but I plead with him to speed it up. I find it deeply offensive that a business case must be made to fill another vacancy. These are not extra posts. It is not the case that there is an increase in population requiring extra posts. These are existing jobs that people have left recently. Someone must make a business case so that our children receive the therapies they need. It is scandalous if the HSE thinks a business case has to be made to replace OTs. If the Minister of State is standing over that I suggest he goes back to the HSE and tells it to fill that vacancy as soon as possible. There is a business case because the position was there until early this year. The idea that when someone leaves a job the case to keep that position has to be made while children have to wait four and a half years for occupational therapy services is scandalous, outrageous and unacceptable. I urge the Minister of State to rethink that and go back to the HSE and tell it to sort this out quickly.

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