Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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316. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the provisions that his Department is making to provide increased capacity in third-level education for the core specialist professions critically needed to address the shortages in expertise across the CAMHS and children's disability network team services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25444/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ensuring an appropriate pipeline of suitably qualified healthcare professionals is a key priority. The staff required by a children's disability network team (CDNT) require a wide range of expertise in a number of clinical and other areas including, but not limited to physiotherapy, psychology, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, social work and community nursing.

The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service, including in relation to disability services. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is also represented on the Interdepartmental Working Group which is currently tasked with developing an Action Plan for Disability Services for the 2022-2025 period.

My officials are actively engaging with the Department of Health on determining the longer term skills needs of the healthcare services, and the role which the further and higher education sector can play in meeting those skills needs.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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317. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current number of occupational therapists who are due to graduate from third-level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25445/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not produce projections of enrolment on an individual course basis, and therefore the number of occupational therapists expected to graduate this year is not available. Graduate numbers for 2020, the latest year available, are below and numbers for this year would be expected to be similar. These figures are as reported on the HEA's student records system (SRS).