Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is undoubtedly a big problem in recruitment and retention of those therapists and specialists, as the Taoiseach stated. Much of the difficulty is self-inflicted by the Government and the HSE. If they are not prepared to pay and reward people in terms of their take-home pay and their pension entitlements in line with statutory standards, they will have a problem recruiting and holding onto staff.

I asked the Taoiseach about Neil specifically. He has given me a general and global picture. I know how bad it is out there. My God, every family dealing with this knows how deep the nightmare and the quagmire are. I asked him about this ten-year-old child, however. Two years ago, a consultant psychiatrist said the child needs to be reassessed because he is not on the mild spectrum; he is, in fact, profound and severe. He bites himself all day. The household is chaotic. The child needs constant care and is not getting the services he needs but he has not even been reassessed and the HSE is stonewalling the family. That is a fact. I asked the Taoiseach when will Neil get his assessment. I would like an answer to that question, particularly since as the Taoiseach stated, he met the family directly last July.

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