§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) pursuant to his answer of 20 March, Official Report, column 503, what are the terms of the appointment of Mrs. Susan Swan as the new adviser to his Department on speech therapy services; what are the terms of the appointment of his Department's existing advisers on occupational therapy and physiotherapy, respectively; and if he will make a statement about the reasons for any differences between the terms of Mrs. Swan's appointment and those of his Department's advisers on occupational therapy and physiotherapy;
(2) pursuant to his answer of 20 March, Official Report, column 503, how many days per year he expects Mrs. Susan Swan to devote to her duties as his Department's new adviser on speech therapy services; how this figure was determined; how it compares with the equivalent figures for his Department's advisers on occupational therapy and physiotherapy; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what representations he has received from the College of Speech Therapists regarding the terms of the appointment of Mrs. Susan Swan as his Department's new adviser on speech therapy services; and what response he has made;
(4) if he will appoint a full-time adviser to his Department on speech therapy services.
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§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe terms of appointment of Mrs. Susan Swan as adviser to the Secretary of State on speech therapy services are that she is to provide advice on
the effect of current policies on speech therapy services; the formulation of future policies relating to speech therapy services; other matters connected with speech therapy.Within this she will advise on the planning, provision and development of speech therapy in the context of rehabilitation and education services, and on the work of speech therapists, and in service training of speech therapists.
The physiotherapy and occupational therapy officers are full-time established officers of our Department and each has at present a full-time temporary assistant. The difference between the need for established posts within the Department for physiotherapy and occupational therapy and that for an external adviser lies in the relatively smaller number of issues that arise in the content of speech therapy. On the basis of experience in the past two years, the Department needs to call on the advice of the speech therapy adviser to the extent of some two days per month. The position will be reviewed if our needs for advice increase.
We have received no representations from the College of Speech Therapists about Mrs. Swan's appointment.