Ms Cara Darmody:

I am the disability rights campaigner who performed a 50-hour protest on the dirty street outside three weeks ago. I am the campaigner who was credited by the previous Taoiseach for the allocation of €10 million of Government funding to what he calls “Cara’s Fund.”

My own story is very simple. I have two brothers: Neil, who is 12, and John, who is eight, who are both autistic and severely and profoundly intellectually disabled. They were both failed dramatically by the State regarding assessments and services. Neil currently remains in an inappropriate school place. Our story is the story of so many thousands of other families. I cannot do anything to change the permanent damage caused to Neil and John, but I can advocate to stop damage being done to autistic children in the future.

Let us cut straight to the chase. I am here today to call out the blatant assessments of need lawbreaking by the Taoiseach and the Government. Three different taoisigh have made promises to me to fix this issue, and all have dramatically failed. I wish to introduce my dad, Mark, who can offer important information about AONs and the recruitment of private providers, services and school places, including important suggestions that we recently made to the Taoiseach in our meeting with him.

Let me explain how the Government is breaking the law. The Disability Act 2005, an Act created by this House, states that an assessment of need must be carried out within six months, full stop. That six-month timeframe is there because every single person knows that early intervention is the key. It is also generally accepted that, when early intervention does not occur, damage is caused to children with disabilities. It is a no-brainer. Let us look at what is happening in Ireland right now. In 93% of cases, children are assessed outside that six-month timeframe. Let us call a spade a spade, the law is being systematically smashed by the Government. This is not a close call. The Opposition now believe that a change in the disability law is coming. The six-month timeframe to assess must not be changed. Let me be very clear: I will vigorously resist any negative change to that six-month timeframe as I believe it will cause further permanent damage to children.

Presently, there are more than 15,000 children left to rot on the HSE assessments of need waiting lists. Shockingly, the HSE revealed that the figure will go to more than 25,000 by Christmas, all because the Government is asleep at the wheel and acting in a non-emergency mode of action. No spin or political waffle can hide the truth of these figures. No advocate has been more respectful or kind to our Cabinet members than me. In fact, I really like every single one of them and I love meeting them but let us call a spade a spade. They are dramatically failing children with disabilities right now. Worse still, they are lawbreakers, and I am calling that out big time right here. The Cabinet is breaking the law; the Taoiseach is breaking the law. I get it that they do not want to hear that kind of criticism - I do - but it is the truth. They are lawbreakers when it comes to assessments of need. If they do not like that criticism, then here is my advice: stop breaking the law.

It is a sad indictment on our country that if one of the members asked me to find a location in Ireland where 100% of the people present are breaking a law of some type, then I would go to the Taoiseach’s Department on a Tuesday morning for the Cabinet meeting. That is shocking to say but it is true. Three weeks ago, I was so grateful to be invited to meet our Taoiseach during my protest, but I was shocked that he would not declare this as a national emergency. He is breaking the law. The HSE has now handed him direct evidence that this crisis is totally out of control, with figures to rise by more than 10,000 children over the next seven months. How many does that number have to reach before he declares this as a national emergency? Is it going to be 30,000, 40,000, 50,000?

His plans are all medium to long term but they will condemn those 25,000 children to permanent damage if he persists in this course of action. My question today for anyone who tries to defend this national crisis will be: what do you propose for the 15,000 children waiting right now?

Let us look at the Taoiseach’s own words. He said that they are “not in a position to uphold the law.” Seriously, could we imagine any citizen in this country being allowed to get away with such a statement? He also said: “It is a technical breach of the law.” Could someone please explain what that means? It is the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard. This is not a technical breach of the law like parking on double yellow lines; it is total and utter blatant law-breaking.

I am going to be blunt to the Taoiseach. His law-breaking is causing permanent damage to children with disabilities. He and his Cabinet need to wake up and show some initiative and urgency. Children are suffering permanent damage at their hands and their conduct needs to be called out.

We are an international embarrassment in how we treat children with autism and intellectual disabilities. How do I know this? I have already featured in an ARTE TV documentary that aired in France and Germany just last month, and I was also the sole keynote speaker at the huge Colin Farrell Foundation gala in Chicago last December. People were disgusted to hear how our Government treats children with disabilities. From this point on, I will be extremely vocal about this issue, both nationally and internationally until real change occurs.

Why do I believe that the Government is asleep at the wheel? It is because it is stuck in the captivity of negativity, which is an endless cycle of negative thinking that fails to remove barriers on the road to progress.

Everyday, we hear excuses like, "There’s no more capacity left in the private sector." If that is the case, can someone please explain how 37 psychologists wrote to me, unsolicited, since my protest in the last three weeks, just like this email I have offering immediate assessments for my brothers? My message to the Taoiseach today is very simple: he should immediately declare this as a national emergency, set up a task force to physically knock on every private psychologist and therapist’s door in the country with an emergency request for help, and dramatically finance Cara’s Fund, as the Tánaiste called it. Finally, Taoiseach, stop breaking the law. I thank everyone for listening.