Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. As she said, we need to see this tender process. I believe we need to see the service specification for the delivery of assessments of needs. It needs to be rushed. The long waiting lists for assessment of needs, which is not a new phenomenon, should be reason enough for the national disability service and the HSE procurement team to speed up their delivery of this to ensure the long waiting lists can be tackled. I have huge issues with the staffing and so on in Carlow CDNT, which I have raised with the HSE and the Minister of State, and I thank her. I note that, at the moment, there are approximately 50 children, or maybe more, in Carlow alone waiting for their assessment. There are children who are about to go to school without having seen a therapist. That is unacceptable. I ask the Minister of State that we rush this. I am really concerned. Families are coming to my clinic every day and they are tormented. While I know the Minister of State is fully committed, as are the other Ministers, something really needs to be done urgently on this.

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