Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I absolutely agree that the school inclusion model has been a real success. I will come back with the figures. It is my understanding that there are about 500 vacancies but I will revert to the Deputy just in case that number has been updated. My door is open in relation to meeting therapists. I have been engaging with service providers, service users and stakeholders since I came into this role. That is absolutely key if we are to get this right and get the policy right. We need to be listening to everyone, including the experts in the area, but also to those with the lived experience, the parents who are trying to get access to services for their children and the people with disabilities of all ages who are trying to get access to services. They are the people I need to listen to as well, who have the lived experience and who are the experts in that area as well. The Deputy can be assured that I will be continuing those engagements to make sure we get this right.

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