Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Under the waiting list initiative, there is funding in that envelope for access to private care in the context of long waiting lists for access to therapy services.

This was provided for. Perhaps the Minister can engage with Deputy Fitzmaurice on how best to utilise the provision in the waiting list funding overall. The fundamental response ultimately has to be recruitment and retention on one level and working through the model to make sure it is fit for purpose in responding to the needs of the children in the first instance. As Deputy Fitzmaurice said, there is a short window of opportunity and developmentally it is crucial that these interventions happen early. Families and parents also need to be part of the input into the models that get developed. It is my view that parents have not been brought into play early enough since the model was developed originally. Parents have not been consulted adequately.

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