Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

I know the Minister does not write her speeches. She could not do so because she is too busy. The speeches are written by civil servants but I found it very frustrating and annoying listening to that speech. I can only imagine what it would be like if I had a child who was in need of services because of a disability. How frustrating it would be to continually listen to the same thing being trotted out, the figures, the amount being spent, what we have done and what we are going to do. No one is denying any of that. What we are saying here tonight is that it is not enough. The notion that the State would spend €12.5 million in defending cases in the courts against parents who have to go to court because there is no other appeal mechanism is appalling. The Minister has had the report outlining how to set up such an appeals mechanism since October 2006 but nothing has been done. Instead, we must listen to the same thing, over and over again.

Every day I am approached by at least three people, in desperation. They should not have to come to me, their TD. They should be going to the people who will provide services so that their children can live a reasonable life and participate in whatever education system is available to them. I heard of a child the other day, aged six, who is in need of speech therapy. It was recommended that the child receive three sessions per week. What does the State provide? Seven and a half hours per year. The mother pays for one session in the private sector, costing €75 per week. She now has to resort, on my advice, to approaching her community welfare office to try to get it to pay for the therapy when it is the Minister of Education and Science who should be doing so. Seven and half hours per year for a child who cannot speak.

Everyone here could tell stories like that. A person e-mailed me about a case recently and said the situation is worse in disadvantaged areas, such as the one I represent, than in other areas. This individual works in the private sector, in a group that supports children. He wrote:

I have had to arrange for a private educational psychologist to see a child in the northside next Monday. The child is now 12 years and eight months. The child was recognised as needing evaluation at the age of just seven. Finally seen at ten and seven months. Then parents were told the child would have to go on an ASD waiting list and would be waiting two years plus to be seen. At this point, the person involved with the family, who is also dealing with other issues, contacted us to do something, anything. We have agreed to pay for the child to be seen by a private educational psychologist. This will be done on the 18th of February. We have arranged help and support for the school as well, as no help has been given to the teachers from the Department.

He tells me that the Minister does not know what she is talking about because these cases are not unique and are similar to those he deals with every day of the week.

This is not the global figure, the great school opening or the great project. These are two cases with which I have dealt this week, namely, a boy of 12 years and a little girl of six years who can get no help from the State. It will be fantastic in the future, but where are the services to be found now?

See this speech in context