Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and appreciate her commitment to the issue. I wish her every success in that work and it is fantastic that she is in that seat.

I wish to raise a linked matter with the Minister for discussion with her colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The greatest issue that will face the education sector is that of children who have not received a timely disability assessment under the Disability Act to determine whether they have additional needs, communication needs or sensory processing disorders. We have seen concerning figures from the HSE. Will the Minister take this matter up with her colleague as soon as may be? Parents always know if there is something not quite right in the development of their children in terms to their connections, reaching particular milestones or meeting certain guidelines. That is evident from the reactions of consultants in Crumlin, Temple Street and elsewhere, who always trust and respond to the parents' instinct. However, parents need help. They cannot do it alone. They need professional supports as much to get structures in place for their children as to have what they are seeing in how their children are doing verified by objective third-party views.

This matter is coming down the line for the Minister, be it today or later. Children who are not getting timely assessments are not getting the services they need in a timely manner, which will impact them throughout their lives. I urge the Minister and her colleagues to take this issue up with the Minister for Health and the HSE as a matter of urgency.

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