Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that. It is important that essential therapists and clinicians are not used for contract tracing or swabbing. That is not to diminish Covid-19 and the seriousness of it. I understand why there was something of a panic at the start of the pandemic. Now, however, we are well into the pandemic and we can no longer use it as an excuse.

The Minister of State has acknowledged that she wants staff to operate in their correct roles. That is very important. We already had a problem with waiting lists and waiting times for assessments for various therapies. We cannot have that problem compounded by Covid-19 but we cannot use Covid as a scapegoat either. It is very important that the issue is addressed. I understand what the Minister of State is saying but I appeal to her nevertheless. The therapists are doing their absolute best. It is difficult when they see a never-ending waiting list. They know there are large numbers of children waiting and they want to be able to help. They know they have the skills to help but they are hampered because there are not enough therapists. It is important that we have recruitment of speech and language therapists and occupational therapists so that we do not have these waiting lists.

I am dealing with several cases involving children who will wait until October 2021. We simply cannot have that for children. They will fall way behind in school and in their development. Eventually, it will have a major effect on their confidence and mental health, especially around speech and language. It is crucial that school-aged children and those about to start school get these interventions. We always talk about early intervention. We all know how important it is and how much of a difference it makes. It is important that we put this into action and have the required number of therapists. I welcome that the Minister of State will look into this specifically for Carlow and Kilkenny because it is an important issue.

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