Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)

It is no exaggeration to say that primary care services for children around the country are at breaking point. Figures obtained by my colleague, Liam Quaide, revealed the depths of the crisis. The longest wait time for speech and language therapy in primary care services in Dublin is six years. In the north Lee area of Cork, one child has been waiting seven years for physiotherapy. For occupational therapy in primary care, there are huge waiting lists. A child in Meath has been left waiting for nine years and a child in north Dublin ten years. When it comes to psychology services, a child in Galway has been left waiting nine years, while one young person in Dublin has been on a waiting list for more than 13 years.

Leaving children on waiting lists for six, seven, nine, ten and 13 years is utterly unacceptable. How can the Taoiseach possibly defend someone waiting for psychological services since 2012? How can he let this happen? He has been in office since 2020. He has had more than enough time to sort this out. The impact on children, young people and their families has been catastrophic. Early intervention, as he knows, is crucial and makes all the difference so that children can reach their full potential. These waiting lists mean that thousands of children all over the country are suffering unnecessarily. They are having problems communicating, having difficulties at school and co-ordination challenges. These are all things that could be made more manageable with timely intervention.

These services have been run into the ground by the Taoiseach’s Governments. During the last Government, he stood over a recruitment embargo in the health service. At the time, the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists said it was aware of vacancy rates of up to 45%. That embargo was replaced with another barrier to recruitment - the pay and numbers strategy - in July 2024. This capped employment at December 2023 levels. It meant previously funded positions that could not be filled during the recruitment embargo were simply abolished. Critical services in primary care were just expected to cope with soaring referrals and reduced staffing but, of course, they could not and children all over the country paid the price for this.

The only thing children are guaranteed is a place on a waiting list. This cannot go on. Not only has the Government not addressed this crisis, but it has made it worse. How can the Taoiseach stand over someone having to wait 13 years on a waiting list? Does he accept responsibility for these waiting lists and will he commit to an urgent recruitment drive for primary care services?

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