Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

An incredible amount of work seems to lie in front of the Minister of State. Does she have an update for CHO 8, which is my area? If there has been a reduction in numbers, when does she see that backlog clearing? When the backlog is cleared, there will still be many unmet needs, which she is well-versed in. There seems to be a gap between investment and therapies. As the Minister of State mentioned, many staff are not doing what they are supposed to be doing and looking after the children. "Unmet need" is a simple term to describe children who are not thriving and achieving as they should be. There are also unmet needs for many families. Many parents come to me who are struggling, almost grieving the loss of what could be, and concerned about how they will cope with the next 15 to 20 years of getting their child through education or whatever the case may be.

I welcome the Minister of State's openness to reviewing the SOP. We heard from the Ombudsman for Children and Mr. Gareth Noble about their concerns. The Minister of State mentioned clinical concerns too. I welcome that and have listened intently to discussions on it.