Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 14: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when the Bacon Report on physiotherapy will be fully implemented that is the filling of vacant posts in the health services as the recommendation in relation to training of physiotherapists has been implemented but graduates are now having great difficulty in getting jobs here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22165/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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In a response to a perceived shortage in various therapy occupations, a report, entitled the Current and Future Supply and Demand Conditions in the Labour Market for Certain Health Professional Therapists (the Bacon Report) was commissioned in 2000. It was published in early 2001.

The Bacon Report recommended an expansion of physiotherapy undergraduate course places from 120 to 145. My Department has been actively involved in implementing that recommendation and the number of Physiotherapy undergraduate course places now stands at 152. The actual intake of students year on year fluctuates from 145 to 152 due to students repeating the year among other things. Funding of €2.0m has been provided to support the clinical education of the newly established training places in Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy. This investment is currently being rolled out through a national working group.

Since the establishment of the HSE in January 2005, there has been a 20% increase in the number of physiotherapists employed in the public health sector. Many physiotherapists also operate in a private setting and some graduates will find employment in that capacity.

My Department has been working with the HSE and representatives of the profession to pro-actively address the situation where some physiotherapy graduates have had difficulty in obtaining employment.

There are a number of contributing factors to the employment situation. I have always made it clear that the HSE must live within the funds provided by Government. The budgetary overrun last year had an impact on recruitment which affected physiotherapy posts along with other areas. In addition, the therapy professions, including physiotherapists, have a disproportionate amount of senior grades with fewer opportunities for employment of graduate therapists at staff grade level. This mainly stems from the way in which services have developed. There has been a tendency for new development posts especially in the community to be pitched at senior grade. I appreciate that clinicians are anxious to ensure that staff have an appropriate level of experience and supervision. I believe however that it is critical that everyone involved in health care delivery takes a flexible and innovative approach to delivering and implementing new services and to ensuring the best skill mix is in place.

A recruitment process has been organised in 2008 for staff grade therapists in Physiotherapy. The aim of this recruitment process is to ensure that panels of therapists are available to take up positions as they become available. The Physiotherapy panels are in place since the end of March.