Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I have the Deputy's figures in front of me. In CHO 3, a total of 336 young people are waiting more than three months. That is how many applications are overdue for completion as of the end of quarter 1. I do not have the breakdown for County Clare, but that is how may are overdue for assessments in CHO 3.

The reimbursement piece is not actually a reimbursement piece but is about addressing the long-waiters issue. That is how we are bringing equity to the system. It was a Labour Party motion that showed how much inequity was in the system. We cannot reimburse because a wedge is then being driven between affordability and non-affordability. We have addressed the issue through addressing the long-waiters list so that equity is in the system. That will be determined by the assessment officers and all the CDNTs. It is not based on money but on the long-waiters list. There is no reimbursement. It is important to say that is not happening. The issue is being addressed through the long-waiters list.

The story the Deputy told is a very real story about going for one assessment for which the child does not meet the criteria. That child then goes for another assessment and might possibly need another assessment thereafter. That in itself tells us of the need and clear pathways required within the framework of that early intervention. It is about early intervention, which is the critical piece we talk about, and the national access policy, NAP, approach, where disability, CAMHS and primary care are working in conjunction to understand exactly the correct pathway of assessment and intervention for that little child she talked about. That is why the assessment hubs are crucial. Primary care, CAMHS and disability are included in the assessment hubs so whether the assessment is being outsourced, or whoever is completing it, it will be the right trajectory for that family. That is why the assessment hubs are critical.

I genuinely feel for the family the Deputy mentioned. Sometimes people are in a good CHO, but when one element is not playing its part it is very hard. That is why we need to have every element working, including primary care. Education needs to be part and parcel of it. The reason parents absolutely lose the will themselves is they are fearful of needing to get access to a special class. To be fair to the Minister, Deputy Foley, she removed the criteria for accessing education; assessment is now just for a special class. However, young people do not need any diagnosis at all when they enter the ECCE programme. The programme will work with a child to get the AIM support worker to the level required, but by no manner or means is the ECCE model driven by a diagnosis.

The reason for delays in the complaints process is so many people are pursuing cases through the courts system. There is such a backlog in getting the complaints workload prepared for court that, in some cases, the process is a year behind.