Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I apologise that the Minister is not here and that I do not have a copy of the speech for the Deputy. I will get it to her as soon as possible.

Like her, I deal with parents and children every day and every week and she is right that there is frustration. We all need to work collaboratively to ensure access to services is improved and that parents and children who deserve to receive them do so. The Government is fully committed to addressing the challenge of the growing demand for assessments of needs. It is important to know that children do not require an assessment of needs to access health services, including those provided by primary care, children's disability network teams, CDNTs, or mental health services. However, demand for assessments of needs continues to grow beyond the current capacity of the system to meet it.

It is a stated priority of the Government to ensure a sustainable solution is put in place to address waiting times and waiting lists for assessments of needs. Officials in the Department of Children, Disability and Equality are working to identify the delays and blockages that are resulting in children waiting too long for an assessment of need and to find the most effective means of addressing them. This is likely to involve operational changes, increased staffing resources, better IT systems or outsourcing to the private sector where appropriate. In addition, officials are working with HSE senior management and experienced clinicians to identify legislative changes to improve effectiveness and efficiency within the assessment of needs process. It is important to note that any proposed changes will not affect the statutory right of any person to access an assessment of needs. Work is under way to deliver existing actions and address new ones to address the backlog.

One such important action is the targeted waiting list initiative, which funds the procurement of capacity from private providers to deliver assessments of need, targeting those families waiting longest. HSE data show that more than 3,600 assessments were commissioned from private providers between June 2024 and the end of March this year under this initiative, which will continue to run for the rest of the year. However, we cannot rely on the private sector indefinitely and we need to support the public system to meet demand. Efforts are continuing to improve staffing in the public system through recruitment and retention actions. Looking at the CDNTs in particular, there has been clear progress with recent HSE data showing a decrease in CDNT vacancy rates from 29% in October 2023 to 18% in April of this year. The positive impact of these initiatives is becoming visible as regards the number of assessments of need completed. There was a 30% increase in the number of completed assessments last year compared with 2023, and in the first three months of this year, more than 1,400 assessments were completed nationally. That is a 65% increase compared with the same period last year. We recognise there have been improvements, but there is more to be done. I accept the points the Deputy made. If she would like to give me the case studies she spoke about this morning, I will gladly bring them back to the Department for her.

There is still a significant backlog with almost 15,300 assessment of need applications overdue for completion nationwide at the end of March. This is an 8% increase on the number overdue at the end of 2024 and clearly shows the scale of the challenge. However, looking at the figures for HSE Mid West in particular, some progress can be seen. Although 434 applications were overdue at the end of March of this year, this is a decrease of 1.8% compared with the number overdue at the end of December. Although it is a small change, it is as step in the right direction. It does not meet the needs of the parents the Deputy mentioned this morning. I accept that.

Addressing the delays in accessing assessments of need and the growing backlog of applications is a challenging and complex issue. The Government is absolutely committed to addressing this to ensure that children who require an assessments of need receive it as soon as is practically possible.

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