James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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181. To ask the Minister for Health the actions his Department is taking to tackle the waiting list for a child to be placed with a primary care paediatric occupational therapist (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62046/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Health and I are committed to the continued development of primary care services in Kildare and indeed across the country.

In Budget 2022, an additional €15m was provided for the Enhanced Community Care programme, bringing the total allocated to more than €195m. Funding under the ECC programme has enabled over 720 staff to be onboarded to primary and community services so far this year, and the additional monies provided for 2022 will allow for further significant recruitment. This expansion in primary care capacity is intended to improve access to services for those that need them.

As the particular case raised by the Deputy is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly, as soon as possible.