Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I absolutely take the Deputy's point about the two families she mentioned, their expectations and the urgent need for services. We all share a common desire to have the best possible policies and services for people with disabilities, children in this case. Both personally and as Minister of State with responsibility for disability issues, I want every child with additional needs to have access to the necessary supports in every aspect of their lives to enable them to achieve their full potential, maximise their independence and live a rich and fulfilling life. This includes ensuring that therapy services are available on an equitable and accessible basis to all children regardless of where they live, the school they attend or the nature of the disability. A key priority for the HSE in north Dublin city and county is to improve the waiting times for early intervention services through the reconfiguration of the network teams and a revised model of care for children's speech and language therapy, psychological services, occupational therapy, social work, physiotherapy and other specialist child mental health services.

This year's budget has allocated €1.9 billion to the HSE disability service plan. This is the highest in the history of the State and constitutes an increase of 7.5%. This will fund the provision of a wide and complex range of services for children with disabilities, including the provision of the 100 new therapy posts across disability services for children through the HSE and voluntary providers. This will continue the Government's commitment to maximising the potential of children with disabilities through the provision of high-quality therapy assessment intervention.

I fully acknowledge the concerns that Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan has articulated to the House today in respect of services for children with disabilities in the Dublin Central constituency. I sincerely hope I have been able to address her concerns and I will address them. The HSE has assured me that it is a priority to ensure the recruitment of 100 therapy posts for children's services in 2019. I take on board the Deputy's points, will follow up on them, and thank the House for the opportunity to address this issue.

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