Dáil debates

Wednesday, 24 May 2023

Access to Autism and Disability Assessments and Supports: Motion [Private Members]

 

11:42 am

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and Minister of State for being here today. They are two of the more approachable Ministers. I have said so on the floor of the House before.

The Labour Party is passionate about this issue. We have raised it many times. I acknowledge the work of Deputy Duncan Smith and of our colleague Deputy Ward who is hugely involved. Today I am furious but I am also proud. I am proud to be a Deputy representing Tipperary and the young lady Cara Darmody. The reason we are able to put on so much pressure is the work done by Cara and her father and the wider family on this issue. I recently held a clinic of 16 appointments of which nine related to issues people had with autism services. I categorise the problems into six different areas including assessment of needs, access to therapy and education. A young man in my parish called Charlie Wilford is in Portroe National School and needs to go to another more suitable school in either Lisnagry or Roscrea. He was refused last year. He was told he would be refused this year and guess what? He has already been told he will not get to go next year either. What am I supposed to say to him? The fourth area is health which is ongoing in many cases. Fifth is societal issues which is why we are trying to turn Nenagh into an autism friendly town like Clonakilty. Sixth, an issue that is often forgotten about, is work. They are the six categories and we must deal with all of them because we are failing these people. We should specifically look at the case of Neil Darmody who was born on 29 October 2012 and has been failed by the State.

Only for the advocacy and work of Mark, his wife and Cara, he would continue to be failed by this State. To a certain point, his life has gone, as his father has acknowledged in many interviews. What we want to ensure from this debate, as one massive move, is that any child who does not get an assessment within three months will have it paid for by the State if they go private.

Mark Darmody received an email from an Anne Ennis of the HSE which states, "I can confirm that the psychology assessment conducted by Dr. O'Dwyer will be paid for by the HSE". However, this morning I got a reply to parliamentary question from Bernard O'Regan of the HSE which states:

The HSE does not fund or reimburse any fees paid to private practitioners in any of the health service areas where assessments have been commissioned by the service user or their family directly as this would undermine the principle of equity of access for all children based on individual need

That is completely contradictory. What happened with what Mark pursued and got in writing from the HSE is completely and utterly contradicted by that answer.

A precedent has been set, therefore, and what we really want is the following. I will stand behind any family with a child that cannot get an assessment of need within three months going out and getting it done by a recognised practitioner and giving the bill to the State. That is what the Darmodys did and the reason it was paid is that they ran a national campaign and created a precedent. As a Deputy for Tipperary, I am bloody well proud of them.

I have to acknowledge the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, putting on the record today that if six assessment units are not set up across the country by 1 August, this Minister will go to the budget and say that what the Labour Party has proposed has to be budgeted for. Every child who does not get an assessment of need within three months will be able to go privately and it will be paid for by the State, which in the case of the Darmodys was €1,700. I ask the Taoiseach to honour that commitment. I hope those units are set up. In light of the history of this matter, however, we have our doubts. The Labour Party will collectively acknowledge what the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has done on the floor of the Dáil with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, because I am sure they agreed it beforehand. That would be a step in the right direction and it would honour the work of Cara Darmody and her father to date.

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