Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests and thank them for their presentation. We all recognise and understand their annoyance, frustration and disappointment at the degree to which their issues and concerns have been addressed over recent years. We can only highlight their points again with the Department, CAMHS, the Minister and the HSE in whatever way makes it possible to focus on the issues that need to be addressed in the short term.

How long have the 4,400 families been on the waiting list? By how much does the shortest time vary from the longest?

Regarding access to supports within the service, families are being discharged without being told about these and are being left without support. Has any reason for this been given? We all believe the purpose of accessing a health service, be it accident and emergency, hospital or so on, is to bring attention to an issue, bring about a diagnosis and do whatever must be done to address it. The longer this situation continues, the more embarrassing it becomes and the more annoyed and frustrated people grow. Patients who need diagnoses are not getting them and are suffering as a result.

My final point is on autistic children. Autism is a condition that requires urgent and particular treatment and understanding. It is not something that can be ignored, dismissed or put on the long finger. The lifespan of a child is a short one. If attention is not given to issues as they are raised, the child suffers in the long term.