Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Circumstances are even more acute in north County Dublin than in Deputy O'Callaghan's area. All of us feel the stress parents have to go through when they are forced to come to us having tried everything to get placements for their children. It is utterly shocking for us not to be able to provide them with an answer. All the Deputies in Dublin Fingal, the five of us, wrote to the Minister for Education and Skills and asked him to meet us to discuss this issue. We find it quite reprehensible that he chose not to do so. I ask the Minister of State to return to the Minister and ask him whether he will meet the five representatives.

Let me outline the kinds of cases we have to deal with. Indie McCabe is going to be five this month. We have written several letters to the Minister about the length of time she has had to wait for early intervention. We eventually got a letter back stating the waiting time to be seen by the team was 32 months. Jacob, who has autism, is going to be five in October. He has had his name down for four ASD units in north Dublin, all of which have indicated they will not have a place for him. Home tuition is not suitable for him. The family wants their child to be educated, like his siblings, in a school where he can make friends. Billy was diagnosed a year and a half ago and is still waiting for early intervention. His parents are paying privately for an SNA, which they cannot afford to do. This is absolutely critical. The strategy, if there is one, is not working. We need a desperate remedy for these families.

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