Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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83. To ask the Minister for Health the timeframe for recruiting the additional therapists announced in budget 2019. [43560/18]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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Deputies will be aware that funding was recently announced in Budget 2019 for an additional 100 therapy posts for Assessment of Need and therapeutic interventions for children. This will enable the HSE to reduce the waiting list for Assessment of Need under the Disability Act and to drive implementation of the Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People Programme through new staff appointments to reconfigured multi-disciplinary, geographic-based teams.

The HSE is now in the process of developing its National Service Plan in accordance with the relevant legislative provisions and funding allocation. As planning for service provision for 2019 is currently underway it is not possible to provide detailed information on how the allocated funding will be spent in 2019. Decisions have yet to be made with regard to the types of therapy posts that will be created, the areas to which they will be allocated, and the time-frame for the recruitment of the additional posts.

However, as soon as these decisions are finalised, the HSE and agencies funded through Section 38 and Section 39 of the Health Act will make every effort to recruit these clinicians as quickly as possible, within the budget allocation provided. The additional funding for 100 therapy posts for children’s disability services will have a significant positive impact on waiting times for assessment and services over the course of the next year.