Catherine Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)
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178. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the Government commitment to return therapists, such as speech and language therapists and occupational therapists, to schools has not been fulfilled; the reason responsibility is being shifted between Departments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16852/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Since 2021 the Government has sought to reinstate the pre-existing on-site health and social care supports to special schools. Between 2021 and 2022 the Government provided funding for the reinstatement of 223 posts that had been historically provided. While some services have been reinstated it is acknowledged that progress has been affected by the shortage of health and social care professionals.

While the provision of clinical therapy supports to children is the responsibility of the HSE, it is this government’s ambition, and as outlined in the Programme for Government, to extend therapy supports within the education system, over time.

My Department is actively working with the Department of Health, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the HSE to develop and strengthen more coherent structures to enable children and young people to access therapeutic supports.

Work in regard to this important service has already been rolled out in 16 special schools in Cork, Dublin and Galway through enhanced in-school therapy supports pilot. This integrated pilot programme will see the delivery of enhanced in-school therapy supports provided by the HSE’s Children’s Disability Network Teams and will be supported by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

Additionally, the Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS) was established within the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in June 2024. The expansion of therapy services within the NCSE is expected to build on the achievements and impacts of this element of the School Inclusion Model (SIM) pilot programme.

The outcomes of the enhanced in-school therapy support pilot, together with the learnings from the ETSS and continued cross-government collaboration will inform and assist in the development of a National Therapy Service.