To ask the Minister of Health, in relation to the Speech and Language Therapy Workforce Review 2019 – 2029, whether he will increase the number of commissioned undergraduate places for Speech and Language Therapy for 2024 to forty.

The commissioning of pre-registration education and training by my Department is reviewed annually, taking into account a range of factors including staffing and vacancy levels, recommendations from workforce reviews, priorities, and affordability. I remain committed to implementing the recommendations of the Speech and Language Therapy Workforce Review 2019 – 2029, which will require the increasing the number of undergraduate training places commissioned each year by 12 to reach the recommendation of 40.

A budget for Northern Ireland Departments has not yet been set for 2024/25 and accordingly I am unable to make any commitment to expand commissioned places at this time. I will continue to make the case for this essential investment in our future workforce. However, I expect that the 2024/25 budget will be extremely challenging.