Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to underline that the Government shares the Senator’s absolute concern. Of course, I will bring back the message that is being heard loud and clear by the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and the entirety of her team. The Minister of State will continue to be heavily involved in advancing the roadmap for service improvements in order to, among other things, improve the assessment of need process and the recruitment of health and social care professionals to our disability services. In this regard, there is a dedicated focus on assessment of need in working groups that had been established within the roadmap governance structures. Work will be centred on ensuring that all care sectors - primary care, disability and CAMHS - work together to address issues that exist for children with disabilities in accessing support.

The Minister of State wishes to reaffirm her commitment and that of the HSE to ensure that each family and their child who wish to receive an assessment have the opportunity to do so in a timely manner. Driving down those numbers in CHO 7 and beyond is an absolute priority.