Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, on his appointment and wish him the very best of luck in the role. I have no doubt we will have plenty of engagement over the coming term.

I submitted this Commencement matter on foot of a constituent contacting me in the New Ross town area to advise me of the difficulties they were having in getting access to speech and language therapy for their child. I was advised by the HSE in response to representations I made that at present all three of the allocated speech and language therapy posts are vacant. The HSE has allocated one senior staff speech and language therapist and two staff-grade speech and language therapists. At the moment, a boy or girl in New Ross town or the wider New Ross area does not have access to a designated speech and language therapist in his or her own area. It is important to highlight this issue. It is completely unacceptable.

I understand there are recruitment challenges across the HSE regarding speech and language therapists but we have to put in place a mechanism to allow for situations where the designated posts available in a town for speech and language therapy are not filled. There has to be a contingency plan put in place. Everybody understands it can be difficult to get staff but there has to be a plan B. Maybe it is that children whose designated speech and language therapists are not available are allocated to a neighbouring area, or perhaps there is something similar to the private treatment purchase fund whereby the parents can take their children to a private speech and language therapist and it is covered by the State.

This is a failing. Everybody knows that early intervention is crucial in the area of speech and language therapy. They need access. If you have had an assessment of need and the report says you need speech and language therapy, early intervention is crucial. Unfortunately, as time passes, the needs of the children increase. Unless there are targeted measures in the New Ross area, this situation will continue. I ask for greater clarity. Will the Minister of State raise with his officials the urgent need for a contingency plan so boys and girls in the New Ross area have a mechanism to access speech and language therapy?