Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 1517: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of trainee physiotherapists currently being educated; the number of third level bodies that provide training courses in physiotherapy; if she has plans to increase the output of qualified physiotherapists in view of the chronic shortage of such skilled professionals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1322/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In May 2002 my Department approved the provision of 175 additional therapy entrants to tackle the shortages of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists as identified in the report "Current and Future Supply and Demand Conditions in the Labour Market for Certain Professional Therapists", which was undertaken by Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates in 2001.

Within this provision there was an annual increase of entrants of 25 approved for Physiotherapy. This increased intake will result in a significant increase in the number of Physiotherapists graduating from the third level sector. Courses in Physiotherapy are available in University College Dublin, Trinity College and the University of Limerick.

There are no plans to further increase the intake into physiotherapy courses at present. The following table shows the student numbers on physiotherapy courses in the 2005/06 academic year.