Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response, and as she rightly says, those services are extra. I am making such a strong case for that region to be included because the services there are virtually non-existent. I mentioned the waiting lists, but that was not my only question. I also asked about the positions allocated and filled. Looking at the area of occupational therapy, only 84% of the positions allocated have been filled. For physiotherapy, the figure is 90%. For speech and language therapy, however, only 59% of the positions allocated were filled in the Sligo-Leitrim region. I got those figures in an answer to a parliamentary question in March this year. Those figures are heartbreaking. Each statistic represents a child and a family. The Minister of State does not have a magic wand, but this pilot programme can make a significant difference and I ask her to strongly consider this region.

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