John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is of no comfort to the families I am speaking about. While it might read well and give the impression that there is a fantastic service there, I can tell the Minister of State that is not the case. I ask him again to address the issue of SOS Kilkenny and funding to allow it to provide the range of services. Will the Minister of State address the issue of respite in counties Kilkenny and Carlow in relation to that also? I asked the Minister of State - and he did not answer - about the numbers waiting to see a child psychologist where the child has been referred urgently by the GP and the psychologist has said they will not accept the patient. That is happening. Families are queuing up for services and not getting access to them.

I have raised this issue umpteen times and the same nonsense is read out. It may be factually correct but I can tell the Minister of State that not enough is being done to reduce waiting lists, deliver the services required and reach out to families in daily trauma having to deal with one, three or four children with autism. That can ruin family life because there can be violence in some cases and parents are unable to cope with the level of care they have to give to these children. The statistics the Minister of State read out are simply muddying the waters in relation to what is actually happening on the ground. I appeal again to him to please understand that there is no continuity of services for families with a child or children with autism. There is a queue to see a child psychologist. There is a real problem. If the Minister of State sticks his head in the sand, ignores what I say and relies on what he is given by the Department, he is doing a terrible disservice to those young people.

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