Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)

It is a huge issue for families who want to plan for their child with a disability. As we know, many of them are dealing with children who have huge challenges. I agree with the Deputy that we have all dealt with issues where it relates to the bureaucracy. There is an issue in ensuring that assessments are made within a decent time. We know that a number of people, agencies and whoever else have had issues where cases have had to be resolved by court, and we are talking about log-jammed court system. What is being doing with regard to reviewing this process to streamline it and make it work for everybody? We want to be able to support the person with a disability, but we also need to make sure that we have a system that is fit for purpose and that we engage with all necessary stakeholders, particularly when we are talking about families who provide huge support, alongside those who work within the services as well. We do not need what we intend to be a solution to become a problem.

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