Mr. Odhrán Allen:

Potentially, yes, but Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly is identifying a more fundamental issue, that there is a golden window of opportunity in the children’s lives that is being missed and it is undeniable. We have to bear this in mind. It comes back to what Deputy Bernard J. Durkan said, that we have to put the child and the user of the service at the heart of what we are trying to do in addressing the issue.

Someone asked about the figure of 90 minutes. We do not know, but it raises the question of the evidence available that led to that decision. We were not party to the decision-making and can only ask the question. What was the evidence that led to the HSE deciding on a figure of 90 minutes? In our research occupational therapists point out that it can take two to 12 hours and have explained that the range in time is due to varying levels of complexity. A figure of 90 minutes seems to be arbitrary.