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

In my area, CHO 5, accessing services is the biggest issue. I talk to people daily on early intervention. We spoke there about assessment of need but the question concerns how long someone waits to get that assessment. The reality is we have a broken system. I feel from talking to parents that they are burnt out. They are constantly trying to get information, which they cannot get. The child needs assessment as quickly as possible, which is not happening. People have started to feel nobody is listening to them. That is some of the parents I talk to.

What worries me more across the board is this. When I bring up, as I and other Oireachtas Members often do, assessment and what will happen, we get back: “We can’t recruit. There’s funding there and we’re going to recruit.” I am working with a disability service in Carlow. I will not say the name but have it here to give to the witnesses, and I know of another one. This service provides the best service for children with disabilities. I have been on the phone for two weeks trying to get its payments because unless it gets payment soon, it will not have money to pay staff. We have a service doing an excellent job. The HSE says it has not got the funding. Service providers tell me they hear nothing from the HSE. I have been in contact with the Department to see what is happening. The manager of that organisation, which provides a service for children, does not know if staff can be paid.

It is a section 39 organisation, for which €59 million was proposed in budget 2023. If we cannot look after the ones that are already organised and running, how will we recruit and set up others? There are huge issues. I could mention many of them and stay here for the day but I have to try to be polite because I am at burning point. How are we protecting the services we have? I am constantly listening to Ministers in different areas speaking of recruitment issues and saying funding is there. While I know that is important, my heart is broken.

I will give another example. Over the past two years, Covid has had a huge impact on families, particularly people and children with a disability. In the budget we were told of the provision of €100 million, comprising €65 million to the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and €35 million to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. We are going back to service providers and telling them we have €65 million extra allocated in a one-off payment in the budget for those services but the services are crying out for money and we have no money.

An issue that struck me was when I met a group of lovely people talking about neurorehabilitation. They spoke about community rehabilitation and vital services for people living with a neurological condition. They said it helps support recovery and prevent disability but that only 15% of people have access to community rehabilitation. As I represent Carlow-Kilkenny, our CHO area includes Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary. This issue has affected many people with a disability. As Deputies, we are saying that we will get the funding for organisations and it will happen, yet I am asking the witnesses, on behalf of CHO 5, to make sure we get funding for staff and services.

We had sight of the CAMHS interim report this week. Again, it is about funding. I do not know how we will fix our system. I am really worried.

While there are recruitment and staffing issues, I can tell the witnesses hand on heart that I do not see any funding across any board. I am at the stage where I am not even putting it down to that any more. Certainly, we must fund the services we have. We must recruit. We are losing the best people - we have a great third-level education system. We are a great country. When we do things, we can do them right but our disability services are far from what they should be. How will we be able to put the services for children and adults with disabilities in place? I could be here all day but I do not want to be negative. What are we going to do with communities and to provide services with funding they are not getting?