Health Services
Seanad Éireann — 2025-11-04
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Seán Kyne (FG), Cultural and Educational Panel

I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for choosing this Commencement matter. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Robert Troy, to the Chamber.
I want to raise speech and language services and a specific family, whom I will not identify, that have contacted me regarding services in the Connemara area. A child, soon to be four years old and due to start school in September 2026, was referred to the HSE for speech and language in August 2023 before he turned two years old. He was diagnosed with an expressive language delay. He had certain developmental issues, and it was advised that he would benefit from a place in a speech and language class in Rinn Mhór in County Galway. North Connemara to Rinn Mhór is about an hour-and-a-half drive each way of over 80 km. Indeed, to reach a class on time would mean the parents having to leave the house at 6.30 a.m. to get to the school. The Department looked at opening a speech and language class in Connemara but was told they did not have enough for it. It is not good enough that any parents would be expected to drive a four-year-old child over 80 km and an hour and a half each way to a class, not only into Galway city, but crossing Galway city into Rinn Mhór to avail of services.
Tá rud éigin mícheart leis an gcóras nuair a chaithfidh tuismitheoirí de ghasúir ceithre bliana d'aois atá ag tosú ar scoil i Meán Fómhair 2026 taisteal ó thuaisceart Chonamara an bealach ar fad go dtí an chathair agus trasna na cathrach go dtí an Rinn Mhór chun teiripe urlabhra agus teanga a fháil. Níl sé sin cóir nó maith go leor. Ní mór go mbeadh rochtain ag gach duine ar sheirbhísí. Tá sé mícheart a bheith ag súil go mbeadh tuismitheoirí agus páistí ag tiomáint ar feadh uaireanta chun seirbhísí riachtanacha a fháil. D'fhéadfadh tuismitheoirí ó thuaisceart Chonamara a bheith ag tiomáint os cionn uair go leith go dtí an Rinn Mhór agus ar ais, ag brath ar an trácht ar aon lá. Dúradh liom go bhfuil seirbhísí ar fáil i gContae na Gaillimhe sa Rinn Mhór agus i mBéal Átha na Sluaighe. Tá gá le seirbhísí ar an taobh thiar den Choirib freisin. Cad iad na pleananna atá ag Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte na seirbhísí sin a sholáthar i gConamara?
We all accept that services need to be accessible for the people who need them. In this case, for a child aged four and for his parents, in terms of quality of life, management of time, and being able to look after other children within the family, services should be provided closer to the parents' home for the sake of the child. A child with developmental issues has enough going on without having to spend an hour and a half each way in a car. I am asking that the HSE, in conjunction with the Department of education, would ensure there are classes and equity provided to youngsters in the Connemara region around speech and language.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-11-04/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:16+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-11-04