Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No. 82 of 3 April 2008, the reason five months have passed and a further basic grade speech and language therapist post has not been filled in Kildare-west Wicklow and one senior replacement post remains vacant. [20424/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Almost 130,000 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 health care 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 health care needs of the population into the future.

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.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Health and Children, further to Parliamentary Question No. 490 of 30 January 2008, the reason a review of the delivery of the audiology service has resulted in the decision not to appoint a replacement audiologist as the position remaining vacant is not going to help the waiting list for hearing tests for children in County Kildare. [20425/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Deputy's question relates to the funding, management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.