Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses are very welcome. It is great to have them with us. I will not delay with any pontification but go straight to questions.

In the context of recruitment Mr. O'Regan touched on many points I was thinking of asking about. Has the HSE undertaken research to see what are the blockages? Is it just that pool? If the HSE got any answers, have any changes been made to the posts to make them more attractive? In any industry, if a job is not being filled, we must look at it and see what changes could be made to the post or institutionally.

Has the HSE looked at the cost of reimbursing families for the cost of private therapies? I refer to cases where parents are told their child needs physiotherapy or occupational therapy and there is a two-year waiting list but the child could be seen privately.

On the website for children's disability services, the HSE specifically mentions the Triple P and Parents Plus parenting programmes. We had the organisations in before the committee earlier as an option for the group work. I was blown away by these organisations. It is clear the HSE has engaged with these organisations that have a proven approach, but there are no service level agreements or continuous engagement that make this kind of training a default and make it accessible to as many families as possible. Independently, they have seen the unmet need for families and through funding from RTÉ, the Community Foundation for Ireland, and other organisations they receive funding to deliver Parents Plus training with Family Carers Ireland. Those involved in Family Carers Ireland are putting their hands up because they need help. They are often the same families the HSE is engaging with.

Have the new assessment of need guidelines been issued to the teams? If not, why not? How many disability service cases is the HSE defending? Mr. O'Regan mentioned that some time ago. How much are the cases costing the service? I imagine the costs are substantial.

I heard recently that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is establishing an independent review into safeguarding in CHO 1. Is the HSE going to engage with the process? Where is the HSE in regard to the independent review?