Mary Moran (Labour)

I commend the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, for her announcement that the number of places on the JobBridge scheme will increase from 5,000 to 6,000 and that the scheme will be extended to allow applications from recipients of lone parent and disability allowance.

I call on the Deputy Leader to ask the Minister for Health to come into the House to comment on the delay on the part of the health authorities in assessing within the legal time limits thousands of children with disabilities. Any delay in making an assessment can be very damaging for children with disabilities who need access to early intervention and relevant services as quickly as possible. Under the Disability Act, the Health Service Executive has a statutory obligation to assess children who have been referred to it within a maximum timeframe of six months. Alarmingly, it is estimated that up to 80% of children who require assessment, or approximately 2,500 children a year, are not being assessed within the legal time limits. It is very difficult for a parent or a guardian to hear that his or her child requires an assessment, and a delay in making an assessment of his or her needs adds to that difficulty.