Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms O'Neill. It is important that all groups work together. I read this week that the chief strategy officer of the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland, AOTI, Mr. Odhrán Allen, has stated "The PTA is the direct opposite of what is intended by the Disability Act, 2005." I think we should all be working together. These assessments are crucial for children and as Ms O'Neill stated, time is of the essence in this process. I have concerns about what the outcome of this new process will be. While I welcome the €7.8 million in funding, perhaps we can revisit this situation in a few months' time and find out exactly what has been achieved, how many cases have been worked on and what progress has been made. I ask whether we could have a roadmap in this context, as that would be important.

Turning to the issue of staffing, when people contact my office about the status of assessments I then ring around for information to see what it is possible to do to help get a child assessed faster. Ms O'Neill is aware of the lists and knows the situation and that is why this new procedure has been established. On funding for staffing, how much of the €7.8 million will be used for extra staffing? I ask this question because the whole situation boils down to delays in the process. While I understand the impact of Covid-19 has obviously played a large part in the situation now, what kind of money is being allocated to staffing?