Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I compliment her good self and her colleague, the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, for the work they continue to do in the whole area for which they have responsibilities. I note that they, and several others, are busy Ministers. That is what one has to be.

It is also worth mentioning that the struggle does not stop just there. It continues. There is a domiciliary care allowance on which a different Department adjudicates. There is usually a battle. First, it gets refused on the basis that - as quoted in countless cases - the child does not need any greater attention than any other child of a similar age. I am sure the Minister of State has read that report many times. This is wrong. The people who make the assessment come to this conclusion, whichever category the child may be in. The children need support now, not in ten or 15 years' time. We have all dealt with cases where the child grows to a teenager and then a young adult and never gets any services, recognition or payment.

We have all dealt with cases where the person with the particular problem, who was diagnosed all those years ago, could be 40 years of age before there is any recognition of their predicament in terms of participating in the workplace. I reject the notion that is sometimes put forward that the child needs no more attention than any other child of similar age. In many cases, they have been left to make their own way in the world and have got into difficulty. That should not be happening. We are supposed to be a caring society. We are a caring society and we have many caring people in our society. The time has come to do something urgently about this.

It was referred to on the television programme that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, was refused a meeting with the HSE. I do not know how that came about but it should not happen under any circumstances. If we can find out the details of that, it needs to be dealt with.

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