Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister of State knows, under the Act the assessment is supposed to start within three months of application and to be completed within another three months. This is not happening. Right across west Cork and indeed nationally I have heard of many cases in which the parents, who obviously know their children best, know what is wrong with their children but just need this official assessment done and an official diagnosis. Many people can afford to go private; many more cannot. Even for those who can, this diagnosis is often not accepted. It is therefore imperative that this list is cleared in order that parents get these official diagnoses. The diagnosis opens many doors, including those that will allow children access to SNAs, so it is very important. The Minister of State will be aware that overdue assessments under the Act rose from 3,568 at the end of March to 3,768 at the end of June of this year. I recently received figures for the end of September showing 4,100 now overdue, so we have seen an increase of 15%. This is not acceptable, with respect.

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