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

Over the years, we have all had to intervene in cases of the nature that Ms Morrison has described - and we continue to intervene - but it should not have to be that way. There should be a reaction immediately when the child is referred, and a determination made. I am concerned about the cases where the diagnosis is of a mild nature. Presumably, nothing happens then. Do we have any figures in respect of the ongoing situation after the child is diagnosed as being mildly affected? What happens in the context of their quality of life and their ability to interact with society in the best way possible? We have all seen cases where it has been determined that the child is able to interact, and the decision and the diagnosis is wrong. I know of cases where children have been arrested at a later stage, in civvy street, by virtue of the fact that nobody understood what their condition was. That surely should not be happening.