Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)

I welcome the opportunity for statements on assessments of need. We often talk about demand and need and solutions. The Government today has made reaffirmations. The Tánaiste reiterated his commitment to address this issue after 14 years of Fine Gael in government. We must also give voice to many people who are now teenagers or adults who have been left behind because of the failures of successive Governments and the structures of this State which did not meet their needs.

The Opposition is often told we misconstrue arguments and offer no solutions but the evidence of failures and the facts speak for themselves. No spin can change the reality of countless families in Ireland who are suffering and have suffered due to the lack of the most basic care by the State in education appropriate to their need with the therapeutic supports necessary to make their situation comfortable. It is well past time for the Government to finally act on the assessment of need crisis. What is happening in our health and disability services is not a minor administrative delay. It is a systematic failure and a breach of legal obligations. It is a betrayal of the children and families impacted.

Under the Disability Act 2005 every child is legally entitled to have their assessment of need completed within six months of their application. That is not a target; it is the law. The Taoiseach should be reminded that this is not a law that we change because it does not suit the narrative of the day. It is a law we must strive to uphold. However, in the first quarter of this year only 7% of assessments were completed in that timeframe. That is an outrageous figure. It tells us plainly that the law is being ignored and that, for thousands of families, the promise of early intervention is nothing more than a broken commitment. Early intervention is to meet a child’s most basic needs. We know how critical those early years are and that timely support can change the entire trajectory of a child’s life but, instead, the families are left waiting. Months turn into years. Promises from Ministers go on and children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are left to fall behind. Governments have been making the same assurances on this issue for years and in that time waiting lists have not improved but, rather, got worse. Workers are still waiting for pay parity and that contributes to the crisis in staffing in the sector. Families are tired and advocates are burned out. Today, Cara Darmody sits outside the Dáil doing her homework in preparation for an exam next week. That is a failure of a republic. I have watched parents who have had to come and sleep outside the Department of education or Dáil Éireann, assemble on WhatsApp groups and develop their own support networks. Who are we? We talk about being a successful economy but what is the purpose of it if it is not meeting those basic needs?

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