Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Instinctively, I am very sympathetic to the point the Deputy made to the effect that there is real urgency here for all of us - regulatory bodies, universities and clinical placement providers - to try to be innovative, to completely protect and safeguard quality and professional standards regulation 100% and to see what roles those involved can play in increasing the supply. This is not about numbers, as the Deputy said, but it is about a child waiting to see a speech and language therapist or an occupational therapist or about a person waiting for an appointment with a psychiatrist or a psychologist. These are very pertinent issues.

I do not want to mislead the Deputy because I am not trying to be unhelpful but I do not have a role in saying that an institution must reduce the length of the course from four years to three. I would suggest that the conversation that the Deputy has had with me could usefully be had with other line Ministers and with their regulatory bodies. What I absolutely do have a role in - I will not shirk my responsibility in this regard - is in doing something that we have not done properly in this State before, namely, workforce planning. How many speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, doctors and nurses do we need and how are we going to increase the pipeline to deliver those professionals? That is the way in which I may be able to help the Deputy.

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