Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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22. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which it is proposed to reduce the long waiting times being experienced by children in County Wicklow that are in need of an assessment for occupational therapy. [40995/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to the provision and development of services for children including early intervention services, and to improving access by these children to therapy services insofar as possible within available resources.

Improving access to therapy services for children in primary care and in disability services is a particular priority for the Government. Within this context, €8 million in additional funding was provided in 2016 to expand the provision of speech and language therapy through primary care services (€4 million) and to support the reorganisation and expansion of speech and language and other therapies, including occupational therapy, under the Progressing Disability Services Programme (€4 million). The key objective of the Progressing Disability Services Programme is to bring about equity of access to disabilities services and consistency of service delivery, with a clear pathway for children with disabilities and their families to services, regardless of where they live, what school they go to or the nature of the individual child's difficulties. Full implementation of this Programme is expected before the end of 2017. It is anticipated that this will have a positive impact on waiting lists both for assessments and therapies.

With regard to County Wicklow specifically, I am advised by the HSE that an Occupational Therapy Improvement Plan has been put in place in CHO Area 6 to improve access to Primary Care Occupational Therapy Services. The recruitment of additional temporary staff to address long waiting times in Primary Care has been prioritised in this regard.