Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Dillon for the question. He has raised an important issue. We need to train more people to work in therapies. In the area of speech and language therapy, the need is acute. Equally, as the Deputy suggested, it is also important to do this in general in respect of broader therapies concerned with working with people with a disability, older people and our mental health services.

I am pleased to tell the Deputy that significant engagement is ongoing between my Department and the Departments of Health, Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Education to develop a joined-up approach to address demand in therapeutic disciplines, including speech and language therapy. Healthcare programmes are, by their nature, complex when it comes to delivery. That is not a reason not to do it, but, obviously, there is a need to ensure availability of appropriate placements and supports. A working group, comprising representatives from the Department of Health, the HSE, CORU and the higher education sector, has been established. Its specific job is to examine how extra placements can be secured to match each extra college place we create. My understanding is that officials from the Department of Health are drafting a placement governance oversight framework to support this work. Officials from my Department participated in the interdepartmental working group that was tasked with developing an action plan for disability services. My department will work closely with that group in this regard.

The Deputy may be aware that I asked the Higher Education Authority, HEA, to conduct a horizon-scanning and expression-of-interest exercise and ask our higher education institutions what more they could do in the areas of dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, nursing and veterinary medicine for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years. That process will conclude very shortly. I have indicated that I want the next areas to be examined to be in the context of therapy, including speech and language therapy. I expect the HEA will be able to go out in May and do a horizon scanning exercise and ask our colleges and similar institutions what more they can do with a view to being able to significantly increase therapy places for the college year from September 2024-25. In addition, I am pleased to say I have already identified an ability to increase speech and language therapy places in Ireland by more than 20 by the start of this college year, but I do wish to do an awful lot more from September 2024 and that will be the purpose of the expression of interest exercise in May.

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