Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party) | Oireachtas source

I know the issue of special needs is close to the Minister of State's heart. We see delays in assessments for children. If we cannot get assessments on time, why can we not put in place a reimbursement scheme for people who can get them? We have done it for hips and knees. In the interim and until we get the assessments done, why can we not have a reimbursement scheme for those who are able to get an assessment somewhere else? That could speed up the process. We could get the children assessed and looked after faster.

On equipment for children with special needs, we need to audit the sector. Equipment is being put into warehouses when people are finished with it. This could be repurposed, reused, recycled and brought back out again for somebody else. I am talking about buggies, wheelchairs and other things. In certain places, there are warehouses full of stuff that has come back after being used and which has not been repurposed. It could be checked over and modified. It is the same as buying a second-hand car. If someone is waiting for something, this could keep them going in the interim. It is about using what we have to hand. I am looking for a small bit of common sense. Yesterday, I spoke about a woman who had a buggy for her ten-year-old child who is non-verbal and does not walk. She has a buggy suitable for a child up to eight years of age but her son is ten. She has to go to the emergency department and put him into a buggy sized for someone two years younger than him. I guarantee there are loads of buggies of the correct size that could be repurposed and reused in these warehouses around the country where the HSE is storing this stuff. I would like an audit of all of the stuff the HSE gives out and of the stuff it never gets back because people do not hand it back when they are finished with it. This could be repurposed, reconditioned and given back out to people while we wait for things for them.

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