Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

The Minister should bring back the message that he will make every effort to find suitable arrangements for these young people. However, I will quote briefly from a letter I received this morning from a parent who is dealing with a seriously disabled young teenager. He wrote:

What I am hearing is that some parents are being communicated with verbally and the trend appears to be that the HSE are madly scrambling to get the numbers down by addressing those with 'lower' needs (or perceived to be lower needs or their needs have been inadequately assessed) in the first instance, shoehorning people in where ever they can. Those with greater needs are being left as the resources required are greater. Not sure where this is all going to go but I can tell you that the stress levels are rising in this house.

I feel that it is still going to need input from outside the HSE to redirect the required resources.

In other words, my point is that the severely disabled kids and young teenagers are the ones who are being hammered because they will cost more from a resources perspective and as that parent's letter demonstrates, stress levels are rising. Consequently, I urge the Minister to support them as best he can.

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