Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 425: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the speech and language service currently available to a school (details supplied) in County Wexford consists of only seven sessions per week, despite the fact that a minimum of two full-time speech and language therapists is required to provide an adequate service and that with a total enrolment of 133 pupils the average speech and language service per pupil is only five minutes and thirty five seconds per week; if her further attention has further been drawn to the fact that no speech and language therapy can be made available to new students in the current situation; her views on whether irrespective of which Department delivers speech and language therapy to schools, her Department is responsible for ensuring that early intervention requirements and an adequate speech and language allocation is available to the only special education school serving County Wexford; if she will take steps to remedy this situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24726/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that the provision of therapy services including speech and language therapy is a matter for the Health Services Executive (HSE) and funding is provided to the HSE for such purposes.

The matter of early intervention supports relating to speech and language therapy for the school in question is specifically a matter for the HSE.