Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This issue can very much be addressed. One other area I will throw into the mix is that I think we need to challenge the education sector in respect of how it can address this issue in different and flexible ways. We have, for example, medicine and graduate entry medicine courses. We also have an ability for people to do nursing through further education and progress from there in nursing. We also have different grades, for example, in psychology. We now have an assistant psychology grade as well. I think we have a speech and language therapist assistant grade too. Obviously, and I am very clear on this, we need to increase the number of speech and language therapy training places in Ireland significantly. I am not in any way deviating from this. I also think, though, that we need to come at this issue from all angles in respect of how we can ensure that anybody in Ireland who wishes to play a role in helping a child or adult with a disability will have many different and diverse ways of helping. We must ensure as well that there are better linkages and pathways between further and higher education and different models of delivery so that people who are middle-aged, for example, with a couple of children or caring for an elderly parent, unable to go back to university full-time will have other ways of trying to get back into the workforce to play their part as well. This should also be a part of the conversation. I will keep in touch with the Deputy.

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