Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Cairns sends her apologies. She regrets that she is not in a position to attend today. That is why I am substituting for her.

I thank our guests for their presentations and for their attendance here today. It is hard for me, like others, to listen to the first-hand testimonies they are providing. It is so much harder for them, looking after their children and providing support and advocacy for other parents in a similar situation.

Their insights are incredibly valuable because they are based on first-hand experience. Their analysis in terms of what needs to happen is important. The Government and the HSE need to hear that. Many of their proposals absolutely make sense.

It is regrettable that many of their proposals could be applied to staff right across the HSE. There are major problems with recruitment and retention right across the board. That is most sharply felt in relation to disability services. Actions must be taken in that regard. There needs to be, first of all, an assessment of the requirement right across the board with all therapists. There needs to be proper workforce planning. Staff need to be treated with respect. There are pay issues, undoubtedly, in relation to the section 39 organisations. They have been talked about for years. It is about time that the political system responded adequately to this. It probably represents one of the biggest failings at political level in relation to how services are run in this country. Of course, not only is it a breach of children's rights, it also holds back their development. As our guests well know, years lost in childhood can never be regained. As I say, it represents the worst State failure over recent years.

I thank them for all the work that they do. I have to say I am in awe of their energy, persistence and resilience in all of this. As parents of children with special needs, they should not have to do this. They should not have to go public on their own personal stories and they should not have to be forced into a situation where they must go private to access basic essential services. It is a measure of how wholly inadequate those services are.

Recruitment and retention are key issues in all of this. I was struck by something Ms Hart said about therapists leaving the service because what they are expected to do in providing the service does not line up with their professional ethics. Would Ms Hart talk to us a little more about that, please?