Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The word "silo" has been used a number of times by a number of people. That is where we are and that is where there seems to be issues. There are too many layers of administration across various Departments and not enough cohesive discussion. The Taoiseach is setting up a unit within the Department of the Taoiseach, which will be a cross-departmental group to discuss this issue. I hope that group will speak to today's witnesses, who represent professional organisations. It is only right as they are the foot soldiers on the ground who are doing the work. We will not devise or improve anything if we do not discuss it with the people who are going to implement it. I will put forward the proposal that the witnesses and their groups should be consulted and allowed to put forward their views on improving the situation. I am a strong advocate that the Disability Act needs to be reviewed. Mr. Allen used the analogy of having an X-ray carried out for a broken arm but then getting no treatment as a comparison with entitlement to an assessment of need with no follow-up. There is no entitlement to a service. I believe we need to review that. I have called for that and will continue to do so. I see at first hand, as a parent in my home area of Longford, the problems of staffing in the CDNTs. Last summer, 3.8 posts were filled in the county of Longford, which has a population of 45,230, for children waiting for an assessment of needs and with over 700 waiting for services. There were only 3.8 positions across psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapy. The services had 0.8 of a physiotherapist and had no social worker. That has improved but over the past number of months, we are losing experienced professionals from the CDNTs, who are going to primary care. Positions are advertised in our CDNT and nobody applies. A position is advertised in primary care and everybody applies. People who are already working in the CDNTs are applying for those positions. In most cases, because of their experience, they will get the job. The figures in our CDNTs are getting worse with regard to professional staff. We are heading into a very difficult situation. I feel we need to look at the pay grades and the whole system.

I understand that someone may want to advance their grade of employment. It needs to be available within the CDNT to allow progress for any staff member working there so they can advance through that system and not have to leave or go to an outside organisation to be able to advance in their career. That must be put in place.

Regarding assessments and private assessments, we hear anecdotal stories about families getting private assessments, some of which are accepted by the HSE and some of which are not. Are there people promoting themselves as providing assessment of needs who are not qualified or clinically-qualified enough to give that assessment in this country? Will Dr. Higgins respond?