Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, met with some of the parents who presented yesterday in Donegal. The CDNTs have collapsed. The vacancy rate is approximately 57% in the two areas in north Donegal It is an absolute disaster and it has real implications. The presentations yesterday from parents of children with disabilities were absolutely harrowing. We had senior HSE officials, Deputies and county councillors but most important of all, the parents.

I want to put a couple of issues to the Minister and the Minister of State. Can there be an emergency fund for parents so they can go to the private sector in the absence of an occupational therapist, a speech and language therapist, a psychologist, social worker, etc.? Can there be redeployment from the primary care centres? A number of urgent interventions require national guidance for the HSE. We cannot tolerate a situation any more where the system, as Deputy Doherty said, forces families to fight. These families are trying to support their children. They are trying to be there for their children. They are tired, they are weary and they do not want to fight. None of those parents needed to come in yesterday, but that is where we are at. I urge the Minister to please intervene in Donegal and see what can be done at the highest level to sort out the problems there.

See this speech in context