Mr. Bernard O'Regan:

I have tried to capture a few things in terms of the response I am going to give the Senator. I apologise if there are some aspects I do not cover. Perhaps my colleagues will come in on a few matters. On the assessments of need, linked to the Disability Act, in general we get approximately 6,000 applications per annum for assessments of need. In 2022, we are also mindful that the ruling by Ms Justice Phelan has created an additional 8,000 cases which had been dealt with under the previous guidance but need now to be revisited. However, in a typical year, there are approximately 6,000 applications.