Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am glad the Minister raised the issue of the wider level of support. Most parents of children on the autism spectrum would say that if they got the help when they needed it, it would have made a big difference.

I turn to my part of the country and the ASD unit for Galway and Roscommon. There are 1,048 children on the waiting list in those two counties alone who are seeking access to occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. That impacts not only each one of those children but also the 136,000 children alongside them in their classes while they wait for five years to access that service.

Does the Minister believe it is right that the occupational therapists and the speech and language therapists who are supposed to be dealing with those children have spent the past seven months doing contact tracing within the HSE? Will he use his offices to ensure that those staff are back on the front line and treating children instead of making phone calls?

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