Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 692: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of physiotherapists working directly or indirectly in the health service under her administration; the ratio of patients to physiotherapists; if her attention has been drawn to the excessively long waiting lists for patients needing access to physiotherapy; the plans she has in conjunction with the Minister for Education and Science to increase the supply of trained qualified physiotherapists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1323/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Over 120,000 people work full-time or part-time in our public health services. In recent years, the Government's ongoing high level of investment in health has achieved and maintained significant increases in the numbers of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals employed in the public health services. The Government has also invested heavily in the education and training of such personnel in order to secure a good supply of graduates to provide for the healthcare needs of the population into the future.

A particular priority for my Department and the Department of Education and Science in recent years has been the expansion of the supply of therapy graduates, including physiotherapists. In response to concerns regarding labour shortages, my Department commissioned a report from Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates on current and future supply and demand conditions to 2015 in the labour market for speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists (Bacon Report). The report was published in 2001 and arising from its recommendations an additional physiotherapy course providing 25 places was established in the University of Limerick in 2002. This investment built on increases, in 2000, of approximately 50 training places. The total number of physiotherapy training places now stands at 152, the level at which the Bacon Report recommended as being sufficient to meet current and future demand to 2015 for physiotherapists. The current priority in terms of graduate supply is to match the skills of these highly trained graduates with the demand for physiotherapy practitioners within the Health Service Executive.

Subject to overall parameters set by Government, the Health Service Executive has the responsibility for determining the composition of its staffing complement. In that regard, it is a matter for the Executive to manage and deploy its human resources to best meet the requirements of its Annual Service Plan for the delivery of health and personal social services to the public. The Executive is the appropriate body to consider the matter raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.