David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would like that in writing. I have tabled parliamentary questions and I have not received replies. I have read the reply to the question I put and I was told that the information was not available. I am genuinely frustrated because we are talking about children with disabilities. There have been multiple breaches of the law. I believe the HSE is cutting corners. It was in breach of the law and was not providing children with the services they need. For many children who then go on to become adults any sort of intervention has passed them by. I do not want that for any more children.

Ms O'Neill let the cat out of the bag here. In her earlier contribution she said there are difficulties with the HSE meeting its legal obligations under Part 2 of the Act so its hands are tied. She was suggesting that the HSE hands could be untied by changing the law which suggests to me that it wants the requirements to provide proper assessments of children to be diluted which would allow the HSE to get around the High Court judgment that clearly found it had not been providing the necessary assessments. The HSE seems to want to get around it by going to the Government and asking it to change the law. It is not a case of either-or. I need to impress this on the people taking part in today's meeting. If they are dealing with the parents we are dealing with, they should know the frustration they feel. They will not tolerate a dilution of the law. If it happens, it will be met with fierce resistance. There should be no more cutting corners, no more breaches of the law. We need to properly resource the services and deliver on the Act that is in place. The HSE should not consider appealing the judgment, which Mr. Reid has said it will not do, or changing the law. It needs to accept the judgment and let us provide the resources and capacity needed to ensure children get the services they need.

I ask Mr. Reid to provide to me in writing the number of children who have had assessments of needs carried out where a need has been identified but where the children have not received the services. I have asked for that time and again through parliamentary questions and I have not got the answer, nor have others. It is absolutely unacceptable. We should be ashamed of ourselves over the lack of services available for children with disabilities. It should fill every one of us with shame.