Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

I extend a céad míle fáilte to the students of Coláiste Eoghain from Buncrana and to the women from the Breaffy walking group in Castlebar. They are all very welcome.

At 10 o'clock this morning, Cara Darmody, a 14-year-old disability campaigner, began a 50-hour protest outside the Dáil and she joins us in the Gallery as well. I extend a very warm welcome to her and to her father, Mark. Cara is an exceptional and amazing young woman who has stepped forward to fight not just for her brothers Neil and John but for all of the children so badly failed by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments. At the heart of Cara's protest is one simple demand, namely, that the Government comply with the law and ensure no child is left behind. Children with disabilities are legally entitled to an assessment of needs within six months and yet 15,296 children are left well beyond this timeframe, some for years, delaying their access to vital therapies and appropriate school places. The HSE anticipates that this dire situation will get worse. By the end of 2025, there could be almost 25,000 on waiting lists for assessment of needs.

I have been contacted by so many parents over the last week and they all have the same story. One mother got a letter on Friday to acknowledge her application for assessment of needs and was informed that the waiting list is in excess of three years. Another told me her son is on the list for an appointment which has been cancelled over and over again. Another parent's daughter got a letter saying it will be between 24 and 33 months before she will be seen, and this child is already on the list for over a year. I work with parents every day in my own constituency. In the north-inner city, the waiting lists would make your eyes water and it is even worse in Cabra. Even when you get your assessment of needs, the fight continues for therapies, school places and very basic services.

The Government has broken the law over and over again. There is a legal requirement on the Government to provide an assessment of needs within six months and it has broken this over and over again. Children are being failed dramatically, left in limbo while they wait for the supports to which they are entitled. How is it that children are so badly failed? Why is it that people with disabilities are so badly failed? There is no indication from the Government that it is serious at all about complying with the law. Today, the combined Opposition comes together and demands that the Government comply with the law. Our motion tonight lays out the clear, concrete steps needed if the Government is serious about tackling assessment of needs waiting lists and complying with its legal and moral obligations.

Tá an dlí briste ag an Taoiseach arís is arís eile. Tá teip shuntasach á déanamh ar leanaí faoi mhíchumas atá fágtha idir dhá cheann na meá ag fanacht ar mheasúnaithe ar riachtanais ar a bhfuil siad i dteideal. Inniu, tháinig an Freasúra go léir le chéile chun iarraidh ar an Rialtas cloí leis an ndlí.

Can the Taoiseach tell parents clearly what the target date is by which the Government will comply with the law? Can he set out the emergency action he will take and the resources he will make available to Cara's fund to clear the current backlog? What about workforce planning, because in some parts of the State, 60% of positions within the children's disability network teams, CDNTs, are currently vacant?

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