Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming to this morning's meeting, which I suggested. If I were to do so again, I would ask that the Health Service Executive, the Minister of State and all the organisations present should be represented in order that we could all be on the same hymn sheet. That did not matter and we can certainly relay the witnesses' concerns to the next meeting. There is a very good mix of organisations represented today. I especially welcome the parents who live the lives of caring for someone with a disability every day. To know what is happening, one has to walk in someone's shoes. They are especially welcome and I thank them all for their contributions.

Obviously the current model of assessing need is not working with more than 4,000 children awaiting assessment, three quarters of whom are waiting longer than the three-month target - often way longer. Those in my constituency of Cork South-West and across all of Cork and Kerry seem to be waiting longer for the assessment. They spend longer on waiting lists than people anywhere else in the country. I know Cork is the biggest county and has the biggest population outside Dublin, but even pro ratawe seem to be waiting longer for everything for some reason. I will raise that at the next meeting; it is obviously not something the witnesses can answer.

As the witnesses have outlined, the new proposals will not work and obviously the old system is not working. I think everyone's heart is in the right place, but something has gone wrong. What can be done for the future? The witnesses have all highlighted what is not working and what they believe will not work. What can be done? If the Minister of State were here this morning, what would the witnesses suggest? This whole area is in disarray. As the Fianna Fáil spokesperson for disabilities, I deal with this issue every day. The length of time to people wait to have an assessment of need done keeps coming up. As Ms Gilhool said, diagnosis is the gateway to treatment. She put it very well and I will use that saying in future. Given that early intervention is so important, the assessment of need and where it directs people to go are also important. Rather than, as we all do, knocking the present system and knocking the proposed new system, what do the witnesses suggest can be done?