Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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We have six petitions to consider. Petition No. 36 of 2021 concerns reform of insurance for thatched heritage buildings. The committee recommends that the correspondence from the petitioner be forwarded to the Minister of State with responsibility for financial services, credit unions and insurance for comment within 14 days. Do members have any views or is that agreed? Agreed.

Petition No. 43 of 2021 on supporting access to employment for non-EEA PhD students' spouses in Ireland is from Mr. Fernandos Ongolly. The committee recommends that since the position of the Department of Justice has not changed, the petition be deemed closed and the petitioner be informed of same. Do members have any views or is that agreed? Agreed.

Petition No. 65 of 2022 on bringing Legion Hall into public ownership and reopening it as a community peace centre is from Mr. Aaron Crampton. The committee recommends that the correspondence from Mr. Owen P Keegan, chief executive of Dublin City Council, be forwarded to the petitioner. In consideration of the response from Dublin City Council, the petition cannot be further progressed by the Joint Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen and the petitioner will be advised of same. Do members have any views or is that agreed? Agreed.

Petition No. 1 of 2023, which seeks immediate financial relief for autistic children whose families are paying privately for assessments and therapies, proper oversight for external complaint systems for the HSE and a full review of the carer's allowance and how carers are viewed, is from Mr. Mark Darmody on behalf of Ms Cara Darmody. The petitioner advises that this petition has three aspects to it, all of which are connected. More than 18,000 children are waiting for long periods for autistic assessments on HSE waiting lists. It is accepted that it is the State's responsibility, through the HSE, to pay for these assessments but because the State is failing in its responsibilities by not assessing in a timely manner, parents are forced to pay privately for those critical assessments. Additionally, parents are also being forced to pay privately when the State fails to provide therapy services such as speech and language therapy, SLT, occupational therapy, OT, psychology, etc.

The second part of the petition seeks an external complaints mechanism for the HSE, as well as a health oversight authority, similar to the present Garda policing model. Parents across the country believe that the HSE is not accountable for its actions as it investigates itself. Mr. Darmody contends that the Ombudsman for Children does not have the investigative powers to properly oversee the HSE. The petitioner also states that having disabled children leads a parent to become a carer. The petitioner seeks a full review of the position of carers.

The petitions case manager corresponded with Mr. John McKeon, Secretary General at the Department of Social Protection, on 2 March and received a reply on 9 March 2023 setting out the Department's position on this matter. The correspondence was forwarded to the petitioner, Mr. Darmody, who replied on 5 April 2023. The secretariat also corresponded with Mr. Leo Bollins, clerk to the Joint Committee on Autism, on 20 February 2023 with regard to this petition and received a reply on 13 April 2023.

The Joint Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen at its meeting of 30 March 2023 discussed a number of issues arising from this petition, including the cross-border directive and Northern Ireland planned healthcare. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has advised that the issues raised in this petition do not fall under its remit.

The secretariat then corresponded with the HSE on 6 April 2023 seeking information on the cross-border directive and Northern Ireland planned healthcare. On 21 April 2023, Ms Sara Maxwell from the office of the chief executive officer of the HSE responded. The petitioner submitted a further reply on 16 May 2023 in response to Ms Maxwell's reply. On 19 May 2023, Mr. McKeon, Secretary General of the Department of Social Protection, responded to Mr. Darmody's reply of 5 April.

The committee recommends that it write to the HSE to request details of the process of validation for private psychologists. It also recommends that updated correspondence from the Department of Social Protection be forwarded to the petitioner for comment within 14 days. On receipt of a response from the HSE, the committee will determine if the petition is better placed with the Joint Committee on Health. Do members have any views or is this agreed? Agreed.

Petition No. 8 of 2023 to stop legal netting of Atlantic salmon in Castlemaine Harbour is from Mr. Daniel Brosnan. The committee recommends that the correspondence with the Department for Environment, Climate and Communications be forwarded to the petitioner for comment within 14 days. Do members have any views or is that agreed? Agreed.

Petition No. 13 of 2023 on penalising or banning disposable plastic toys is from Mrs. Alexandra Koster. The committee recommends that the correspondence with the Department for Environment, Climate and Communications be forwarded to the petitioner for comment within 14 days. Do members have any views or is that agreed? Agreed.

That concludes our consideration of public petitions. I invite members of the public to submit petitions via our online portal, which is available at petitions@oireachtas.ie. A petition may be addressed to the Houses of the Oireachtas on a matter of general public concern or interest or on an issue of public policy.