Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I echo the words of sympathy to the Minister for Children, Deputy Zappone, on the death of her wife, Ann Louise Gilligan. I did not know Ann Louise but I served with the Minister, Deputy Zappone, on a committee for five years and found her to be a great colleague and a very inspiring person. Our hearts and our sympathy go out to her at this time.

I support Senator Conway-Walsh on the need for a debate in the House - I appeal to the Leader to facilitate it - on the condition of Irish public buildings in terms of the cladding, sprinkler systems and alarms used and the fire safety measures in place. We need an inventory of those, and we need to learn a lesson from the tragedy in the United Kingdom. Along with other Senators, my heart goes out to the people of Grenfell Tower.

I wish to raise the issue of young children who public health nurses and teachers notice need assessment for potential conditions, such as autism, dyspraxia and dyslexia, that will affect the kind of support they need in education, in life and in terms of their development. The waiting list for those young children is too long. Thank God, with the recession having passed, we are now in the process of building a normal society. In order to build a normal society, we need to consider this question and reduce the number of children on the waiting list to zero. In County Cavan, where I live, we have a wonderful Enable Ireland centre, which has great staff and beautiful facilities.I visited it recently and it is an excellent place, but there is, I am told, a two-year waiting list. That cannot continue. I ask the Leader of the House, Senator Jerry Buttimer, himself a former Chairman of the health committee and a former teacher, who has the sensitivity on this issue, to arrange this debate as a matter of urgency. We must have a whole debate on it, bringing in the relevant Ministers of all Departments where it impacts. These children cannot be left in limbo. They must be the first to benefit from the fact that we are now in a different space economically. In conclusion, I ask for a review of the waiting lists for children for psychological testing and assessment. The current position is bizarre, wrong and, in fact, unconstitutional.