Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)

There has been an increase in the number of assessments of need carried out. There was a 30% increase of completed assessments of need in 2024 compared with 2023. Similarly, in the first quarter of this year, there was a 65% increase in the completed applications compared to the same period last year. Part of that is due to the private sector coming in and helping to carry out the assessments, which we have funded in the budget.