Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Question 546: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of speech and language therapists currently in the system and the way this compares with numbers prior to the previous Government's moratorium on recruitment. [9896/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The current Employment Control Framework for the Health Sector 2011-2014 provides exemptions for a number of specific grades, including speech and language therapists, from the general moratorium on recruitment and promotion. The previous Employment Control Framework also contained similar exemptions from the moratorium which was introduced in March 2009. The current Framework provides for vacant speech and language therapist posts to be filled. In addition, it also provides for the creation of a combined total of 380 speech & language therapist, physiotherapist and occupational therapist posts, in addition to the December 2009 level for these grades. The numbers (WTE excld. career break) of speech and language therapists employed in the public health service from December 2008 to March 2011 (latest data) are as set out in the following table.