Ms Breda Crehan-Roche:

I thank Deputy Cairns. As regards the children's disability network teams, this is a significant Government change and change programme. There will be 91 teams in operation by the end of the year. Some of them are already in operation. For example, this has been ongoing in CHO 3, covering the mid-west, for several years. The teams will be there. It is not an excuse but there is no doubt the pandemic has affected delivery. Yesterday, I chaired a meeting. The information we saw was very encouraging, as my colleague, Professor MacLachlan, just stated. The whole premise of the progressing disability services programme relates to putting the child and family first. It is very much a move away from the medical model. When the teams are operational, there will be local implementation groups. Families are very much part of that. It is important that they have a voice and it can be heard. If there are issues, we need to address them.

I acknowledge the commitment of the Minster of State and the Government to this programme. The resources provided have made a significant difference and will do so in future. We are very aware that these are children's formative years and so important. We are working closely with our colleagues in education. The good news is that the 91 children's disability network teams are coterminous with the primary care teams. That is really important because, in the context of therapists and so forth, my colleague, Professor MacLachlan, referred to the fact that we need to train more therapists and retain them. The commitment from the Government and the additional funding will certainly help in that regard. There is a significant amount of change and we are seeing good progress. We need to be in partnership with families because we recognise that the family knows their child better than anyone. The Deputy is correct that we need to have that honest conversation. We will see more of that as we go on. There is certainly great commitment, passion and energy around the whole progressing disability services programme. A very different picture will be seen next year as the teams bed down. We are currently seeing significant progress. Although we cannot comment on individual cases, I am sure my colleague, Mr. O'Regan, will take that up with the CHO in question and the head of service there.