Therapists who work with children in autism outreach units should be employed by the Department of Education and not the HSE, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny told the Dáil today.
Mr Kenny said the recruitment embargo at the HSE meant that autism outreach units are not being provided with occupational therapy, speech and langauge therapy, and behavioural therapy specialists.
He said he agreed with Minister for Education Mary Hanafin when she called autism an "intellectual disability" and therefore the specialists should be contracted to the Department of Education "because it's an educational need and not a medical need".
Mr Kenny brought up the issue after the mother of an autistic child said her son was being denied his constitutional right to an education as the HSE is failing to staff a facility in a Dublin school.
Gail Murphy's six-year-old son Luca was enrolled in the local Educate Together national school in Castleknock, which has an autism outreach unit capable of catering for 12 children.
However, the unit, which has been completed for more than a year, is yet to open because funding has not been received from the HSE to appoint the specialist staff the unit requires.
In response, the Taoiseach said the HSE was working to improve access to therapists around the country. "Its not just a question of money but its also a question of the individuals available," Mr Ahern said.
"If you recall, in the last few years we have upped the number of places in the relevant universities and institutes so we can increase the supply of therapists coming out of our colleges because there has been a traditional shortage of speech therapists and language specialist in this area", he added.
However, he said that he had "already asked the ministers concerned to try and do their best with HSE to try and resolve this particular issue".
