Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

They have articulated frustration on assessment needs and paying for assessments. Deputy Sherlock asked about that earlier. The children must move from junior to senior school and they are not in the same school settings. Some of the families, as the classrooms are not in a local community school, may have to travel for an hour or an hour and a half across the city to access services. It is one of the main reasons I am meeting the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, tomorrow. It is to get an understanding of our roll-out plan for classrooms not just in Dublin and the areas identified by the Senator but right across the country.

The Senator spoke about children with Down's syndrome being affected with arthritis. She mentioned a ratio of one child in 50 being affected as opposed to one in every 1,000 children who do not have Down's syndrome. The last time I inquired about this I was told there is a recruitment problem. It is a major difficulty but it is not new. It is something that needs to be prioritised. There are six posts that deal with rheumatoid arthritis but only two are filled.

The Senator spoke about section 39 organisations. It is wonderful to see that great work has been done through the Labour Relations Commission as of last Thursday evening, with the HSE and unions coming to an understanding. It is very welcome news. The next 250 bodies for the section 39 organisations are now moving forward with pay restoration.