Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputies Funchion and Ó Caoláin on bringing forward this motion. I confirm my support for it. I welcome everybody in the Gallery and salute the teachers, parents, advocates and everybody involved in autism support services. There are 14,000 students in the country with an autism diagnosis, which is a significant number. In the very short time available, I raise again a matter that I have raised on numerous occasions, which is the assessment of needs. I have raised this with the current Taoiseach and previous taoisigh. We all know there are major delays with assessments of needs despite the HSE being obliged under statute to commence an assessment of needs within three months of notification and to finalise it within a further three months. In Tipperary, those assessments of needs take 24 months to commence, and this has been the case in recent years. There is a further waiting period after this extending to 18 months across Tipperary. Parents are forced either to go private or to seek assistance from the likes of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The vast majority of children are languishing on the waiting lists for the periods I have described.

I have asked the question before but I will ask it again of the Minister tonight. Why is the HSE allowed to breach the law? There is a statutory obligation on the HSE to do these assessments within the timeframes specified, but it is being broken daily. It is a matter for this House and the Minister to ensure the assessment of need is done within a specified timeframe. I support the motion and regret that I have such a short period in which to speak to it. I wanted to mention school places, particularly at primary level, as well as the lack of autism-specific respite services.

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