Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his response on behalf of the Department of Health. It gave a lot of plans but did not give any specifics in relation to improved services or any timelines. It stated that these changes will bring about improvements to service across the country, including in Connemara, but where, when and what age will this child be when improved services are made available to him? I will engage further with the Department of Health and the HSE on this issue. I reiterate that it is not acceptable that a four-year-old child and his parents are expected to drive an hour and a half each way into and across Galway city to avail of an important service, namely, speech and language therapy. It is necessary to get those interventions early to ensure the child has the best chances in life. I appreciate the Minister of State is here on behalf of the Department of Health but I will raise this further to try to ensure there are improved services in the region and a quicker response time.