Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 212: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the situation in relation to the requirements for and the availability of speech and language therapists between now and 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19302/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Deputy may wish to note that three new speech and language therapy courses commenced in the 2003-04 academic year, one of which is a two-year postgraduate course, at the University of Limerick. In total, these courses provide an additional 75 training places in speech and language therapy. This expansion in training numbers has been identified in the report commissioned by my Department from Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates on current and future demand conditions in the labour market for certain professional therapists as sufficient to meet the long-term requirements for speech and language therapists in Ireland.

The first graduates from the new speech and language therapy course in the University of Limerick will be conferred in the near future.