Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I raise the absolute scandal of how children with additional needs are failed by this State and left languishing on waiting lists for necessary therapies for years. I have figures, which show that almost 9,000 children across the country have been waiting more than 12 months, not for therapies, but for initial contacts from their CDNTs. A campaigner has done a tremendous amount of research in submitting freedom of information after freedom of information request to put this together. The story revealed by the figures is scandalous. The vacancy rate for occupational therapists is approximately 40%. It is approximately 70% for dieticians. It is more than 30% for family support workers, 30% for care assistants and 70% for play therapists. I could go on. Why are vacancy rates so high? What is the Government doing about them and why are there so many mistakes? There are an estimated 48 mistakes in the figures provided. How can we have accurate planning when we have so many mistakes in the figures?

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