Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of waiting times for speech therapy and early diagnosis of speech and language difficulties. Early diagnosis of autism, in particular, and other medical problems is crucial in order that children can progress. A number of medical conditions are being diagnosed earlier and an early diagnosis gives children a better start at school. Waiting times for assessment are a big issue in many of our constituencies. The average waiting time should be three months, but in many cases it is much longer. Speech and language therapy is important because if the problems are nipped in the bud before children go to primary school, they will not have the development issues they might have. They will also be on the same level as their peers if there are early interventions. Disability services are being reconfigured and one of the main issues is the recruitment of occupational and speech and language therapists. In 2014 the previous Government announced the allocation of moneys to provide 275 additional therapists, including 88 speech and language therapists. At the end of October last year, only 27 additional speech and language therapists had been recruited. I looked for a section 13 report on the assessment of needs for occupational and speech and language therapists. The last report I found had been completed in 2007. Section 13 of the Disability Act 2005 provides for an annual report to be given to the Minister on needs identified in an area and the future allocation of speech and language therapists. If a more recent report has been published, I ask the Leader to provide it for the House. If no report has been completed since 2007, will he ask the Minister for Health to commission a section 13 report on the assessment of needs for speech and language therapists in all HSE areas?

Yesterday, after I had contributed on the Order of Business, Senator Rose Conway-Walsh made various comments on Fianna Fáil's record on home care services. On 5 January this year the United Kingdom Homecare Association which represents independent health care providers published a press release entitled, The State of Home Care Funding in Northern Ireland. It is stated in the first paragraph-----