2026-01-29

87. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of extra college places being created in September 2026 and September 2027 to ensure adequate supply of new speech and language therapists and occupational therapists, to meet the increasing demands of the care system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7277/26]

I would like to ask about the number of extra college places being created in September 2026 and 2027 to ensure there is an adequate supply of new speech and language and occupational therapists to meet the increasing demands of our care system.

This is an all-of-government priority in terms of meeting the disability needs of our people. We made a decision at a Cabinet subcommittee early in the term that my Department can increase the number of therapists coming through third level and into the workforce. An interdepartmental working group is working with the Ministers for Health and Education and Youth and will examine the number of places we need to fill. We have produced a list of the occupations with the most critical skills shortages in terms of disability and health care supports. That has led to a first-round call. Having worked with my colleagues to identify the particular therapies and occupations that were most critically needed, I made a call, through the HEA, to third level providers to ask what colleges were in a position to meet the call and demand. From that first response, starting in September an 478 additional places are being created across the different therapies. There is a second call under way at the moment. The first call asked colleges with existing course provision through schools of nursing, therapy, medicine and healthcare whether they could increase the number of places on their courses. That call has now been completed and, I understand, 461 places have been created, rising to 478 over the next year or two. The next call asked colleges that do not currently provide those sort of courses and do not have schools in the relevant area whether they are in a position to provide such courses. For example, Maynooth launched a school of nursing which did not exist this time last year. That is one among many colleges that will ramp up its provision of different therapies. This is an all-of-government priority. As I said, I am happy to be able to deliver an additional 478 places in the first round. I have many more rounds to go, and I continue intend to continue to grow that workforce.

I thank the Minister for the response. It is very heartening to hear that there will be at least 478 new places coming on stream next year, or even this year if possible. The situation facing families across the country because of staff shortages in critical posts is beyond difficult. I am sure every Member of the House has heard from families on a CDNT list who are waiting for care. Across the HSE Dublin and south east region, which covers Carlow and Kilkenny, over 1,700 children have been waiting for CDNT services for over a year. Nationally, that figure stands at over 6,000 children. We must urgently prioritise the provision of these crucial services. I acknowledge that, as the Minister said, over 478 places coming are on stream but I ask him not to spare any ambition in the number of additional places he can provide for speech and language and occupational therapy students.

We are very much on the same page. I will give the Deputy a list of courses that have been identified in consultation with the Ministers for Health and Education and Youth and myself. Occupational, therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, dieticians, radiation therapists, radiographers, medical scientists, podiatrists, social workers and educational psychologists are on the list. That is not to say that there will not be further courses within that but they were the courses identified for the first round of expressions of interest. The Deputy mentioned CNDT groups, which I deal with in my constituency at a local level. I can provide training courses through the system, and have done and will continue to do that, but they need to be matched by placements in the HSE and health service. Without that, people will not complete their courses. Some colleges have told me they have or can make capacity for additional places but they need a guarantee from the health system that there will be placements when people get to the relevant time in their course. I have engaged with the HSE and the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, on this. It is a critical gap or challenge in the system.

I thank the Minister for the response. I am heartened to hear that solid measures are being taken to provide more training places, not just for speech and language and occupational therapists but also for dieticians, physiotherapists and educational psychologists, in particular. It is a welcome measure. We are all aware that this challenge is not just about training staff; it is also about retaining them. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, is working on reforming how therapies are delivers to ensure services are delivered more efficiently and effectively to those who need them without undue delay. However, Carlow CNDT still faces one of the highest rates of staff shortages. The most recent figures show that almost 45% of positions in the CDNT are vacant, despite sustained efforts to provide specialists. With that in mind, does the Minister have any plans to introduce an apprenticeship-style avenue for health and social care personnel to allow for continuous professional development in while in employment, perhaps even up to PhD level, to encourage higher retention in the sector?

I have explored that and my officials are actively exploring the apprenticeship route. There is also the recognition of private learning where somebody has worked in a related discipline and rather than starting on day one in year one they could come into the system midstream or at a more advanced stage, if we take into account their prior learning. The issue the Deputy mentioned in respect of CDNTs is a common one. She referred to Carlow CDNT as having vacant places. A placement often determines where a student progresses long term in their career. A student who has a placement in a private practice, for example, may be more likely to stay with that practice and in the private sector long term. However, if a student is placed, for example, in a local facility in Carlow, Kildare or wherever it happens to be, they are more likely to stay there. It is critical that during their training students are exposed to different practice types. I have discussed with my colleagues on the Cabinet subcommittee the need to rotate placements so that a student has exposure to many different fields rather than just one and is more likely to return to that field. They can be difficult and stressful environments in which to work. We need to encourage our graduates to go into those sectors when they leave college. I agree with the Deputy that we also need focus on retention measures.