Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte.

A Government decision in December 2022 confirmed that the transfer of policy, functions and funding responsibility relating to specialist community-based disability services from the Minister for Health to me, as Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, would take place on 1 March of this year.

The colocation of disability equality policy and community-based disability services functions in a single Department from 1 March will facilitate strategic policy development, including the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, and the advancement of the disability capacity review through the Action Plan for Disability Services. This will ultimately enhance the fulfilment of the rights of children and adults with disabilities in respect of a number of critical UNCRPD articles.

As for assessment of need specifically, I am committed to delivering real and tangible solutions to enhance services. I will focus on addressing challenges as regards the resourcing of children's disability network teams and implementing effectively the progressing disability services programme in order to target long waiting lists and to enable the provision of timely and appropriate therapies.

The revised assessment of needs standard operating procedure, once approved, will be implemented with a clear focus on clearing the assessment of need backlog, although it is important to note that children do not require an assessment of need under the Disability Act to access health services. Many children in receipt of therapy services have not gone through the assessment of need process.

It is anticipated that the interim clinical guidance will be finalised shortly. The HSE has been allocated funding in budget 2023 to facilitate additional assessments through a suite of measures, including the establishment of dedicated assessment of need teams, private procurement, overtime initiatives for existing staff and the recruitment of administrative resources to free up therapists in order to assist with assessments of need.

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