Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I add my congratulations to the concerto of congratulations. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for coming to the House this evening. I am sorry to subject the Minister of State to this at this ungodly hour but let it never be said that she does not work hard.

I rise tonight to raise the issue of the lack of a consistent and permanent full-time speech and language therapist, SLT, at King's Island primary care centre in my constituency in Limerick. I do this on the basis that there are 1,257 children in CHO 3, specifically in Limerick, who are waiting two years for speech and language therapy. King's Island is a wonderful community that I am extremely proud to represent, previously as a councillor and now as TD for Limerick City. Like all proud working-class communities it has huge deprivation and many issues. King's Island is considered to be extremely disadvantaged - it is widely acknowledged as one of the most disadvantaged communities in Ireland - and has a deprivation index score of minus 31.9, but the King's Island primary care centre does not have a paediatric speech and language therapist and has not had one for a number of years. This lack of essential support is having a devastating impact on the most vulnerable children and families in our community, many of whom are already facing significant social and educational challenges. The situation is now so dire that the local school principal, Eoghan O'Byrne, has been forced go on local radio and literally plead for this post to be filled. This is simply unacceptable for any child but especially for children from poorer backgrounds who cannot access private therapies. This early intervention is critical and yet children who attend his primary school, St. Mary's National School, are being left behind. This wonderful school in many ways is a victim of its own success with a population that has grown by 70% in three years. With a growing population, however, comes an even greater need for this vital service. The longer this continues, the more children will fall through the cracks and the more issues they will have as they get older.

I will give the Minister of State and the House some context. Some of the figures that pertain to the junior infant pupils are quite stark. If one uses the Renfrew action picture test the class average is 34%, the whole class scored below the 75th percentile, and 85% of the class scored below the 50th percentile. I urge the Minister of State to ask the HSE to prioritise the deployment of a speech and language therapist to this community as a matter of urgency. These children and their families deserve equitable access to the supports that are essential for their development and future success. The absence of a consistent SLT service in King's Island for over three years has had significant and far-reaching implications on the children in this area.

Speech and language therapy is a critical component of early childhood development and for supporting communication skills that are essential for learning social interaction and emotional regulation. The lack of consistent SLT services means that teachers are left without the necessary professional supports to implement effective classroom strategies for these students. The emotional well-being of children in this community is another area of concern. Language difficulties can contribute to frustration and anxiety especially when children cannot express their needs or feelings effectively. We urgently need a full-time speech and language therapist in King's Island primary care centre. This post has been vacant for over three years. The HSE pay and numbers strategy is having a direct negative impact on the provision of primary care services in the mid-west. While approval may have been given to fill this post, will the Minister of State guarantee that the post will be filled before the end of March? In the interim, will the Minister of State please instruct the HSE to ensure that an agency paediatric speech and language therapist will be allocated to King's Island on a full-time basis?

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