Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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398. To ask the Minister for Health the current number of occupational therapy vacancies across the HSE services nationally; the breakdown of those occupational therapy vacancies across the different community healthcare divisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27208/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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399. To ask the Minister for Health the current number of speech and language therapy vacancies across the HSE services nationally; the breakdown of those speech and language vacancies across the different community healthcare divisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27209/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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400. To ask the Minister for Health the current number of physiotherapy vacancies across the HSE services nationally; the breakdown of those physiotherapy vacancies across the different community healthcare divisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27210/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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401. To ask the Minister for Health the current number of psychology vacancies across the HSE services nationally; the breakdown of those psychology vacancies across the different community healthcare divisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27211/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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402. To ask the Minister for Health the current number of social work vacancies across the HSE services nationally; the breakdown of those social work vacancies across the different community healthcare divisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27212/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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403. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department has determined the longer-term skills needs of the healthcare sector; the cross-Departmental actions that will be taken to ensure that those identified skills needs are met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27213/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Health and Social Care workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of suitably qualified healthcare professionals in Ireland is a top priority for the Government.

In 2021, the Department initiated a project to develop a Health and Social Care Workforce Planning Strategy and Action Plan and Planning Projection Model for Ireland to address the long-term workforce planning needs of the health sector. This work is being undertaken with the support of the Directorate-General for Structure Reform Support (DG Reform of the EU Commission) under the auspices of their Technical Support Instrument (TSI) to provide the technical expertise to deliver on this ambitious project. The project will take 20 months to complete.

AARC Ltd are partnering with Indecon Consultants to deliver the project. Work on the project is progressing and the Department is working with the project team from Indecon Consultants, AARC Consulting and the European Commission to deliver this important work.  The Objective of this project is the development of scenario-based projections of health and social care workforce supply and demand which informs a strategy, action plan and set of recommendations for ongoing strategic health and social care workforce planning.  The project will provide the necessary tools, processes, and technical capacity to produce rolling health and social care workforce planning action plans and implement targeted policy measures for health and social care workforce reform. 

Medical workforce planning and supply and demand analysis is conducted by the National Doctors Training and Planning (NDTP) Office in HSE. The work of this office addresses future projections for the appropriate staffing of the medical workforce in Ireland. The NDTP Office have published a number of reports to inform long term needs of the medical workforce, this includes the report ‘Demand for Medical Consultants and Specialists to 2028 and the Training Pipeline to Meet Demand - National Doctors Training and Planning (NDTP)’. This work informs the actions required to meet the need for adequately trained doctors in Ireland.

Department of Health officials engage on an ongoing basis with colleagues in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that we train enough graduates with the skills necessary to support the delivery of health and social care services and to develop a strategic approach to workforce planning for the health sector.

Ongoing discussions between both Departments are in relation to increasing domestic supply of health and Social Care graduates in the short term, through the immediate provision of additional places, and the longer-term planning being undertaken around future skills needs in context of future demand for health and social care services.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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404. To ask the Minister for Health if highly skilled and highly in-demand healthcare professionals across the HSE services and in particular in the child disability network team services are being sought under the current critical shortage are being sought under critical skills employment permits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27214/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy's question relates to a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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405. To ask the Minister for Health the recommendations that have been made to his Department by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27215/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) advises the Irish Government, including SOLAS, on skills needs and labour market issues that impact on enterprise and employment growth. 

My Department has not received any recent  recommendations made, by this Group, in relation to the skill needs of the health sector, and is not aware of any plans to do so in their future work programme.