Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)

In Waterford, 147 children are waiting for an assessment of need and some have been waiting for nearly two years. That is illegal. That is the Government breaking its own laws. As the Government knows, under the Disability Act children are entitled to an assessment within six months. That is not optional. That is the law. Yet, the Government breaks that law every single day. Across the State, more than 15,000 children are now overdue their assessment. That number could rise to almost 25,000 by the end of next year. Across the State, more than 15,000 children are being denied their rights under the Disability Act and families are being abandoned. They feel abandoned because they are. They are forced to pay privately or in many cases, go without. It is not just failure. It is a systemic denial of care and it has to stop. Not opposing this motion is not enough. The Government needs to take action and it needs to make it stop.

Budget 2025 allocated some extra funding, namely, €4.5 million on top of €5 million in core funding but we have seen no real change. Just 7% of assessments are completed within the legal timeframe. That is not progress; it is collapse. What is worse is that this is not just about assessments. It is part of a litany of Government failures when it comes to children. Children are left in pain for years waiting on scoliosis surgery. There were unsafe and unnecessary operations on vulnerable children and there is still no accountability. There is a crisis in special school and autism class spaces that is left unresolved year after year. CAMHS is in chaos. Child homelessness is rising again. School absenteeism is on the rise. In Waterford, there is not a single educational welfare officer in post. Three out of three positions are still vacant. It is not a pattern. It cannot be an accident. It is a systemic failure to plan, fund or deliver for children.

Tá na mílte páiste ar fud na tíre ag fanacht ar mheasúnú riachtanais. Céard atá de dhíth orthu don saol, don oideachas agus don chúram? Tá gníomh ag teastáil anois.

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