Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 177: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of speech and language therapists employed in the various regions of the Health Service Executive; her views on whether this number is adequate in view of lengthening waiting lists here; her proposals to increase the number of therapists through recruitment or training; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10311/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Additional investment in speech and language therapy services in recent years, coupled with enhancements in the professional training, career development and remuneration of these therapists, have led to significant improvements in staffing levels. These developments are in line with the recommendations made by the expert group on various health professions which included new pay scales and enhanced career structures.

In general, developments such as pay increases, improvements in career structure and enhanced opportunities for professional and career development have all supported increased staffing levels for key health and social care professions, including speech and language therapists. The implementation of the pay recommendations of the public service benchmarking body made a further important contribution to recruitment and improved retention. The continued implementation of the action plan for people management, a key action under the health strategy, has a crucial role in improving retention and reducing turnover of skilled staff.

The success of the intensive efforts to improve staffing levels in speech and language therapy in the public health service has contributed to an increase of 266, or 95%, speech and language therapists over the number employed at the end of December 1997, and reflects significant increases in the numbers employed in promotional grades. At the end of September 2005, 548 whole-time equivalent speech and language therapists were employed in the public health service In addition, three new speech and language therapy courses commenced in the 2003-04 academic year in UCC, NUIG and UL. In total, these courses provide an additional 75 training places in speech and language therapy. This expansion in training numbers was identified in the Bacon report as sufficient to meet the long-term demand-supply balance for speech and language therapists in Ireland. The first graduates from the two year masters course in UL completed their studies in June, 2005. The first graduates from the BSc courses in UCC and NUIG will graduate in 2007.

Essential to the successful roll-out of these additional training places is the provision of sufficient quality clinical placements in speech and language therapy. The funding I provided this year, along with that allocated in the past two years, will enable the Health Service Executive, working with my Department, to put in place the enhanced structures necessary to ensure that students will have access to a sustainable, high-quality clinical training model. The number of speech and language therapists employed in the various regions of the Health Service Executive is set out in the following table.