Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I first want to thank the Minister of State for his reply and for going through it in such detail. He underlined in his reply and that they do not require an assessment of need. I have been here before with every family I deal with. The first question they are asked is to give that piece of paper with that assessment the need, so something needs to change there.We need to tell the clinicians and everybody else that they do not require an assessment of need. This is probably the third or fourth time I have said this in the House. It needs to change urgently. That is what the family I have just referred to and the many other families I deal with have been told, namely, if they get an assessment of need, then they will get the pathways. The pathways are not opening up, and that is not just for the Creaney family in Athy but for all of the other families I deal with. There is no pathway.

This child was seven when he got his first assessment of need and he is now a 21-year-old adult. He has had no reassessment and, as I said, there has been a complete change in his personality and his needs. That is what I am fighting for today. I appreciate there has been movement in regard to setting up the assessment of need centres in the various areas but to have 5,133 in CHO 7 is simply not good enough. These are the people who are ringing me and other public representatives daily throughout CHO 7. It needs to change urgently. I hope the Minister of State can bring that message back to the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte.