Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We know that. The Minister of State said she chaired a workforce planning group. I do not know what the purpose of that group is. This is where I am getting at. We have to get around what is wrong. We know what is wrong. I believe the day of reckoning is coming. It happened in Tuam where the parents, when they got into a forum, realised what way they were all being treated. They thought it was isolated that one person was being treated. They ended up on the streets last December protesting outside the brand new CDNT building, which is probably still only half-staffed. The key to it is that they are not being staffed.

The headline suggesting that money is going towards allowing parents to get private assessments done is not the full story. Private assessment is not complete until it goes back into the system, which is failing people. That is where we have to clear the decks and start anew.

I thought disability was no longer the responsibility of the HSE, but it is still well and truly rooted in it. We should not be blaming the HSE; this should be a Department of disabilities issue and everything should be within the power of the Minister in this regard. If not, I do not know what we are at.

I hope we are not depressing people but I do feel there are many people who cannot understand what is going on and why things are not being put right quickly. There could be little games going on within different public sector areas to keep these things where they are-----