Dr. Niall Muldoon:

Let me comment. I concur that it will be important to examine those two Acts together. That is what we recommended two years ago. Now that one review has started, it is heartening to hear that Mr. Reid will be making a submission to the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, regarding the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act.

On recruitment, a number of the HSE representatives present will remember when former Senator Joan Freeman had a special committee on mental health. I believe it was in 2018. The committee highlighted that there were 17 different points in the recruitment of an individual and that it could take up to 18 months. Flaws in the panel system were identified. The HSE has had enough time to move the supply line and start changing it. Given the talk about it now, to the effect that it will take a number of years to change it, there is a question as to what has happened since the clear recommendations of the Oireachtas committee were made. I do not believe there is anybody left who believes the panel system is the right way to go for anybody in recruitment. We just need to look at that again. It is the children who are suffering at this point. We have a panel system that does not do the best for the professional involved or the individual who needs the services. This is something we can really move on. However, to say we have to re-examine it is wrong because we know exactly what the flaws are. We need to see action at this point.