§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average amount of time spent awaiting an initial assessment by a speech therapist in each health authority area in Wales; and what is the average amount spent per week in dealing with each patient.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe information is not held centrally.
§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what efforts are currently being undertaken by his Department to encourage more applications for training places as speech therapists in Wales.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThere is currently no shortage of applicants for the training in speech therapy provided in Wales.
§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much is currently allocated by his Department to each individual health authority area in Wales for the training of speech therapists; and what plans he has to increase the allocation.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe Welsh Office makes no specific allocation to health authorities for the purpose of training speech therapists. How much district health authorities choose to invest in speech therapy training services to meet the needs of their resident populations is a matter for determination in the light of local priorities and local circumstances.