Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Is there a standard international metric of the cost of assessment per child? The new standard operating procedure for assessment of need was addressed in a reply to a parliamentary question of mine, which stated that the HSE has developed a standard operating procedure for the assessment of need process to ensure that children with disabilities and their families access appropriate assessment and intervention as quickly as possible, and the approach of assessment of need is consistent across all areas. This ultimately comes down to funding, resources and money. We know what the price of an assessment of need is in the private sector. I do not know if there is a costing in the public sphere. If there was an internationally recognised cost, depending on the needed level of intervention, that would help us in our understanding when interrogating the figures that the Minister, whoever that might be, puts before us.