Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I cannot disagree with anything the Deputy said in terms of the challenge the significant level of vacancy poses for the CDNTs all over the country and their ability to deliver crucial interventions for children and the subsequent improvements in quality of life for families. The next Government will look at the progressing disabilities model and have an opportunity to make decisions. We have to be clear that until there are enough therapists, it does not matter if we call it progressing disability services or something else; we need more therapists. That is why the HSE has a workforce planning team in place looking at how to increase the number of health and social care professionals across the HSE and to encourage them into CDNTs. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I have undertaken work with the Department of higher and further education to increase the number of places to train more therapists each year, which will bear fruit. I recognise it is not bearing fruit now but it will in a number of years.

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