Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when she will address the shortage of speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists and other health professionals that is causing children to have to wait years for assessments and interventions which are crucial to their health, education and social development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9456/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Government has invested heavily in the education and training of health care personnel in order to secure a good supply of graduates to provide for the health care needs of the population into the future.

Since the establishment of the Health Service Executive, the number of speech and language therapists has increased by 215 to 712, an increase of 43%, and the number of occupational therapists has increased by 320 to 1,025, representing an increase of 45%. In addition, there are 18 more psychiatrists, excluding consultant psychiatrists with a special interest in adult learning disability, which is an increase of 42%, and a further 184 psychologists, an increase of 36%.

Training places for speech and language therapists have increased by 336% since 1997, from 25 to 109, and training places for occupational therapists have increased by 297% since 1997, from 29 to 115. Training places for clinical psychologists has increased by 396% since 1999, from 23 to 114.

In addition, there has been a steady increase in the number of higher training posts in psychiatry at senior registrar grade over the past ten years. There are currently 97 senior registrar posts approved and funded within the national higher training scheme in psychiatry, of which 28 are child and adolescent psychiatry training posts. In recent years, the Department of Health and Children has made additional funding available via the postgraduate medical and dental board to the Irish psychiatric training committee to assist in the further development of psychiatric training in Ireland.

The Government has made a major investment in these services and in the professionals who provide them. Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005 commenced for children aged under five years with effect from 1 June 2007 and entitles people with disabilities to, among other things, an independent assessment of health and education needs and a statement of the services which it is proposed to provide. The implementation of this legislation has placed additional demands on the services of health professionals.

I am aware there are waiting lists for some services and I expect the HSE to manage this in a proactive way.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

The Government has also made it clear that public health and social services must be managed within the funds provided by the Oireachtas and to achieve, at a minimum, the service activity specified in the HSE's annual national service plan.

My Department is working closely with the HSE to ensure effective workforce planning into the future. A joint working group on workforce planning was established in June 2006 and includes representatives of my Department, the Departments of Finance and Education and Science, the HSE and the Higher Education Authority.

Research is being conducted by FÁS, under the auspices of the expert group on future skills needs of the labour market in health care, which aims to identify current and future shortages of health care skills. FÁS is currently undertaking a detailed analysis of 11 professions, including speech and language therapists, psychologists and medical consultants, and this study will be completed during 2008. This builds on earlier work undertaken by FÁS in 2005.

The Government is committed to identifying and enhancing the health-related support services for children and is also committed to building on the significant developments that have taken place in recent years.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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I will speak about my own area because I know it best. Is the Minister of State aware that the child and adolescent mental health services in the Limerick area are dealing now with applications from 2005? Anybody coming in since then will be waiting approximately two years. We are speaking about young children who need these tests done so they in turn can get help with various issues involving education and so on.

Is the Minister of State aware there is no occupational therapist at all for those aged over ten years in the school system in Limerick? Is he aware people are waiting up to two years and more for occupational therapy services for young school children? In most cases the people just give up and go private if they can afford it. Even if people can afford private care, I believe it is almost impossible to get a private OT.

Is the Minister of State aware there were 183 unfilled occupational therapy posts, according to an answer given to my colleague, Deputy Roisín Shortall, in January of this year? Will the Minister speak to his colleagues in the Department of Education and Science about the crisis position on getting support for children in schools? People cannot get the necessary tests in the health service for the supports they need in the education service.

I urge the Minister of State to talk to the Minister for Education and Science about this as there may be a way around the problem. It is possible the young people will not have to get all these tests in order to get the supports they need in the education service. It is a crisis which must be responded to. If children lose these early years, they lose the chance to progress.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I take the points made by Deputy Jan O'Sullivan although I do not have the statistics for her own city and county.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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I am sure they are similar in other parts of the country.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I will pursue the specific issues raised by the Deputy and come back to her in writing very shortly. On child and adolescent mental health, the Health Service Executive will establish eight child and adolescent mental health teams during this year.

An important lesson learned from the activities of the HSE during the course of 2007 is the fact that there is a need to monitor employment levels and service needs at an area level. That agreement has been made with the HSE at central level and it is also involved at area level with the relevant trade unions. It is very important the service plan which has been published and approved by the Health Service Executive be monitored from the start of this year. The Department and Government have laid particular emphasis on the need to ensure therapy positions are filled.

Over the past number of years, as I outlined in my initial reply, there has been significant investment by the State in human resources and in upskilling people to ensure we have people qualified in these different disciplines. We must ensure those services are provided for the patients who need them and the Department is involved, sharing a working group with the Health Service Executive, as well as frontline professionals in developing an action plan for the short, medium and long term. This will ensure adequate services for these therapies throughout the entire State.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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We do not have them. That is the problem.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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At present the Department and the Government are determined to ensure we come to the position where services are equal and adequate. Over the years, the Deputy would have made the call, as I would have, from different sides of the House to train more people in different disciplines.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I will allow a brief supplementary.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Is the Minister of State aware that because of the Disability Act and the EPSEN Act, there is now huge pressure on the provision of assessments? The Government cannot just publish legislation and not put in the personnel to deal with the need. Is the Minister of State also aware of how vital it is for a young child to get the necessary supports at an early age, and the negative effect of having to wait two or three years for an examination they needed at a particular time?

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I am fully aware of the need for early intervention in instances where children need particular assistance. As Deputy Jan O'Sullivan knows, Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005 will be commenced in respect of children aged five to 18 in tandem with the implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, commonly known as EPSEN.

Representatives of the Department of Health and Children and the Department of Education and Science, as well as the Health Service Executive and the National Council for Special Education, meet on a monthly basis to address these particular issues. As the Deputy is aware, the Act in respect of children under five commenced in June 2007.