Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, for taking this issue in the absence of the health portfolio holders. The Department of Health has failed Aaron and his mother. Aaron is without appropriate speech and language therapy and regular psychology appointments. His mum has applied for some respite but to no avail. A recommendation for theory of mind therapy to help Aaron socialise has been ignored. In my view, this is a textbook case of the experience of many young people.

Aaron's specialist psychiatrist will retire shortly and there are no plans to replace him. Despite having an excellent relationship with his child psychologist, Aaron, now fast approaching 18, will have to move elsewhere. It should be noted that Aaron does not transfer well, despite all of the points the Minister included in his reply, and we can all understand this. This will all be new, and new challenges will present in dealing with new people; Aaron needs consistency in relationships, and this will be all undone when he reaches 18 years of age.

This situation is wholly unsatisfactory and I urge the Minister not just to set aside the paper after this. I understand he will have an appreciation of the seriousness of the case. I would not have raised an individual case only that it is as serious as I know it to be. I ask the Minister to use his good offices to impact on his colleagues at the Departments of Health and Education and Skills because the case needs an immediate cross-departmental co-ordinated response. I appeal on behalf of Aaron, his very understandably distraught mother and his wider family who love him dearly that no further time is lost.

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