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

I am really going out disheartened today. How do we sort out a system that has failed our children and families so much?

I know the Minister of State has the six assessment hubs to streamline the assessment of needs process. Where is the nearest one to Carlow and how is that working? According to the most recent census, County Carlow has grown by nearly 10%, and we now have a population of 62,000. The population of Kilkenny is well over 100,000. Therefore, we need a hub. Maybe the Minister of State could come back to me on that.

I see the Minister of State trying to knock down the doors and break down the barriers that are there. Those doors are not being opened. If we do not start to open them, we will have protests throughout the country in the next while because parents are at breaking point.

I thank the Minister of State. She is always willing and she always comes back to us. Perhaps she might come back to me some of these questions.