Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for this opportunity. This is an issue that has been consistently raised at the committees on education and autism. The staffing issues are a big problem. Does the Minister have the pertinent statistics for CHO5 where I am? As Deputy McAuliffe said, it is not just per CHO. There are individual areas within each CHO, such as west Waterford, where it has been extremely difficult to recruit and retain people to the CDNTs. They are of pivotal importance. This is a huge stumbling block for parents. They get past the initial assessment of needs and think they will access the services their child requires but then find the CDNTs are not adequately staffed and the services are not being provided.

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