Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tomorrow, 13-year-old Cara Darmody from Tipperary will again protest outside the Dáil. It is not her first time. She has been campaigning for several years now. Her key demand is that the Government gives a clear date as to when the State will comply with the Disability Act 2005 which, as the Taoiseach knows, sets out that children with disabilities are legally entitled to an assessment of needs within six months. In the past seven years we had two Ministers for Health, namely, the Taoiseach himself, and the current Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and in that time, assessment waiting lists have more than trebled. They have ballooned from 4,000 to 15,000. Such long waiting times have serious consequences for children because early intervention is crucial. Will the Taoiseach answer Cara's question? When will the Government abide by the law and ensure that every child requiring an assessment of needs gets that assessment within six months, as is his or her legal entitlement?

See this speech in context