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

The crisis in the health system and in this instance in the provision of disability services trundles on. It is widely recognised that early intervention is of critical importance when it comes to improving outcomes for children with disabilities but despite the recognition of such a need, the HSE is failing to ensure that young disabled children receive the earliest possible interventions to give them the best start in life. Under the Disability Act 2005, assessments of children's needs must be completed within six months. The recent revelation of the failure by the HSE to process in 2015 as many as 2,500 applications from parents for needs assessments for their children on foot of a disability notwithstanding the legal requirement is a damning indictment of the Government. Exceptional circumstances were cited as the reason for delays in a number of cases. While this is permitted under the regulations, my concern is that the provision is being used to facilitate delayed assessments by the HSE.

Every parent wants the very best for his or her child. In their desperation to have their disabled children assessed, they are now being forced to go private. According to the autism charity Shine, 107 children were assessed privately in 2014 but between 1 January and October 2016, the number of children being diagnosed privately rose to 216. Private diagnosis can cost from €700 to more than €1,000, which is a hefty sum and one which parents should not have to pay to have their children's needs assessed. Equally concerning are the claims by Shine that no follow-up services such as speech and language and occupational therapy have been available since last November to children assessed as having an autism need. I agree with Shine's chief executive, Kieran Kennedy, who says the system has gone beyond crisis. I understand the HSE did not provide a direct answer when asked if follow-up services had been unavailable since last November to children assessed as having that need. It said it was "reconfiguring existing therapy services into geographic based children's disability network teams". Perhaps the Minister of State can confirm if this is the case.

Does the Minister of State agree that reconfiguring existing resources is not going to cut it? What we need are additional resources and we need them now. This is an issue that must be addressed as a matter of urgency in circumstances in which the number of children seeking to be assessed is rising year on year. I want to know what the Government is doing to address this pressing situation. How will it ensure that no child will have to wait longer than six months to be assessed and how will it ensure that follow-up services are available to all of these young people, each of whom deserves proper attention and support?

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