Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for asking that question. For the past two years the Government has provided way more the amount of money required. We have been extremely successful in our budgets. The Deputy is correct in that the progressing disability services for children and young people, in its current format, is not meeting the needs of children. That is why I am engaging with parent forums. I have travelled around the country to hear about what is happening first-hand and to try to understand how exactly we can break down the barriers in order that the money gets directly to the children and that services are delivered. I plan to continue doing this over the next six months. It is a direct intervention by me. I am asking and pleading with the HSE to join me in engaging with these forums and to be part of the solution in understanding where the barriers lie.

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