Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Yesterday, I raised with the Taoiseach the issue of children at risk and the numbers on waiting lists who have had no intervention whatsoever. There were no answers forthcoming from the Government.

Today, I wish to raise the matter of another category of children who need specialist attention and services, namely, those who are awaiting assessment for speech and language therapy for various speech and language disorders. The Taoiseach is well aware of the complexity of this problem. I cannot overstate the importance of early intervention and delivery of service for children who are so afflicted. It is absolutely critical. If early intervention does not take place, the consequences are a lifetime of self-consciousness, speech impediment and under performance.

The Government has recognised this problem because in its programme for Government it states that any child under five years of age who has been awaiting assessment for more than three months will have automatic access to a service provided through the National Treatment Purchase Fund. What happened to that commitment?

In Dublin alone, 4,000 children are now waiting for speech and language therapy assessment. There is further discrimination within that because it matters where a child lives. In Dublin north, the waiting period can be as low as three months, whereas in Dublin south it can be 31 months and in Dublin west, 33 months. In many cases, children are waiting for two and a half years to be assessed.

I am sure the Taoiseach appreciates the frustration and anger of parents when they recognise that their child has a problem for which attention is required. There is no point in the HSE saying "Sorry love, see you in four year's time". There is no cohesion, streamlining or delivery of the service. That says a lot about the constitutional republic to which the Taoiseach refers. There is no delivery of service. A child living on one side of the street in Dublin can obtain a service within three months, while a child on the other side may have to wait 31 months. This is not the way things should be.

I cannot stress enough how important early intervention and delivery of service is for children with speech and language difficulties. What is wrong? Why can we not have a single, overseeing deliverer of this service rather than fragmentation, lack of cohesion and no co-ordination, resulting in a seething anger? In this city alone, 4,000 children this morning are on a waiting list for delivery of services for speech and language disorders. What will the Government do about this?

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