Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was watching the programme that night. Once again, I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, are extremely involved with. Indeed, the whole of the Government is highly conscious of the need to address the situation.

It is important to reiterate that, as part of the CDNT model of service, a child does not require an assessment of need or a diagnosis to access health services. I acknowledge that CDNTs are currently providing services and supports for over 46,000 children, with 93 dedicated teams across the country. These teams are also providing strategies and supports for urgent cases on the wait-list, where staffing resources allow.

In recent years, the Government has provided funding for additional posts to enhance the capacity of CDNTs and shorten the waiting times. The 2023 CDNT staff census noted an average vacancy rate of 36% across CHOs, a 2% increase on the previous year. However, while an analysis of the data from 2022 to 2023 demonstrates an increase of 152.52 whole-time equivalents in the approved posts, this only reflected a 3% increase in the CDNT workforce, which I find strange.

Detailed engagement continues between the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, their officials in the Department of children and the HSE to seek practical and implementable solutions to address the AON issue. I assure the Deputy that the matter is receiving the most urgent attention. As somebody who works very closely with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, I know she puts her heart and soul into this every day of the week to try to find solutions, and they are not always easy to find.

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