Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

At the Committee on Budgetary Oversight I identified significant gaps in budget 2018 in health spending. One of the most appalling relates to the numbers of children who are waiting for an intake assessment by early intervention teams in Dublin north city and county. Some of the Taoiseach's constituents are involved. Well in excess of 300 children are waiting at the moment. These children are believed to be on the autistic spectrum. In excess of 150 children have been waiting for more than a year. I know of people in families who have been waiting for 19 months or 22 months and so on.

Is it not cruel that the Government has not provided the resources to our staff in community care areas to enable them to provide the kind of services we need for these children? As the Taoiseach is aware, there is no use in a child getting early intervention when he or she is four and a half or five years old. Early intervention should mean early intervention. The Government and its Fianna Fáil partners have not provided us with a competent health budget for 2018.

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