Results 41-60 of 9,362 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: As the Deputy was speaking, I was reminded of people in a similar situation who have come into my constituency office. Often they are parents who have a grown-up adult child. Their question is what will happen to their child when the parents pass away. We cannot always answer those questions, but they will be looked after. It is all about this forward planning and having the data. As...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Both Deputies have raised important points. For example, when somebody is leaving the school setting, there needs to be a transition. We are doing work in that regard. The person-centred plan has been developed with each person, his or her family and his or her support person, looking at ensuring that this person with a disability is making informed choices about what he or she wants to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: The Government recognises the importance of early intervention for children with disabilities and ensuring they receive the right services at the right time. Under the programme for Government, we are committed to ensuring children and their families who need early intervention and therapy input can access it in a timely way. The key vehicle for change and improvement is the roadmap for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: We are doing a number of things in recruitment and retention. We have bursaries in place. We are opening up HSE panels. We have HSE advertising streams. We also have a number of fairs, including one in May where one of the top priorities was to recruit people and to introduce people to social care therapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. We have 150 extra...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I assure Deputy Lawless that absolutely everything is being done. What is happening now is what I have just listed out. We also have domestic and international recruitment drives happening all the time, as we speak. We also have an expedited CORU registration process from this year. This is specifically for people who may have trained abroad and want to come here to work. We want to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Deputy Lawless can come back to me afterwards.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disabilities Assessments (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Regional assessment hubs are being rolled out. We had a meeting with the CEO of the HSE, Bernard Gloster, on that. I can get updated information for the Deputy on that. My understanding is that they are starting to be rolled out. That will help to reduce waiting lists. We have also worked with the HSE to seek to introduce specific recruitment and retention initiatives for therapists...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: A number of things are happening here. There is an increased demand for assessments of need. We are all very aware of the reasons for that. For many, it is about getting access to services as well as wanting to know about a disability and getting a diagnosis. All these form part of the demands on the system. The Deputy will know we are doing work through a Cabinet committee on...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: To answer the last question first, ensuring that children have access to the therapies they need is absolutely my priority and our priority as a Government. It is for that reason that my colleague the Minister, Deputy McEntee is continuing the work that myself and the Minister, Deputy Foley did when we were in the Department of Education on special education with in-school speech and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disabilities Assessments (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: As I have said, the Government absolutely recognises that waiting times for assessment of need is far too long and we are committed to reforming the assessment of need process. Both this Department and the HSE have been working intensively to progress measures to address these waiting times. I want to emphasise again to parents that while children have a right to apply for the assessment...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disabilities Assessments (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I do not have a breakdown of the numbers of children who have gone through the process but there has been a 65% increase in assessments in the first three months compared with the same period last year. Even with that said, we know we have a lot more work to do to get through that. I might not have said it earlier, but we absolutely acknowledge people’s statutory right to have access...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank Deputy Ó Murchú for his question. This Government is committed to enhancing the delivery of supports and services for all children in Ireland with additional needs, including autistic children. It is important to emphasise that an autism assessment or an assessment of need is not required for a child to access primary care, CDNTs or CAMHS. The Government accepts that...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank Senator Rabbitte for raising this issue and offering me the opportunity to respond. The Government is fully committed to supporting efforts to ensure the necessary supports for people with disabilities, along with their families, and to ensuring they are provided in a timely manner, not just in our home county of Galway but right across the country. As the Senator is aware, the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Senator again for raising this issue. I am keen to ensure all opportunities are explored in regard to the Toghermore campus and that the services are provided for the benefit of the locals and the surrounding communities. I reiterate this Government's commitment to delivering real and tangible solutions to enhance services and to better support the needs of adults and children...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I would like to thank the Deputy for his question regarding the staffing of Children’s Disability Network Teams. There are 93 Children’s Disability Network Teams and in line with the Progressing Disability Services model these 93 teams are aligned to 96 Community Healthcare Networks across the country. CDNTs provide services and supports for children aged from birth to 18...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Both the Government and the HSE are acutely aware of the ongoing challenges in the recruitment and retention of therapists across the 93 Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs), including those in Limerick. Nationally, the CDNTs continue to support over 43,000 but I do recognise the need for more therapists in CDNTs and the impact these delays have on children and young...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disabilities Assessments (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: This Government absolutely recognises that waiting times for assessment of need are far too long and have a significant impact on delivering on the needs of children and their families. Both this Department and the HSE have been working intensively to progress measures to reduce and waiting times. I really want to emphasise to parents that while children have a right to apply for an...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Children’s disability services are primarily focused on therapeutic supports for children and young people with complex requirements, including those with autism and other neurodiverse needs. The National Programme on Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People is the guiding policy for children’s services. The policy aims to provide for all children with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: My department has engaged significantly with stakeholders to address the needs of children with disabilities, including those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Since becoming Minister of State for Disabilities, I have worked with key partners across government and the HSE to ensure the delivery of therapies through the 93 Children’s Disability Network Teams. The Service...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (17 Jun 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: In August 2024, the Government agreed to support the special schools’ pilot for enhanced in-school therapy supports. The pilot is delivered by Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) led by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and its funded agencies, in 16 selected special schools in Cork, Dublin and Galway and is supported by the National Council for Special Education...