David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 120: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the discussions she and her officials have had with the Health Service Executive in relation to the progress to date of Part 2 of the Disability Act with regard to the number and timescale in providing assessments and service statements for children aged zero to five years; if she is confident with the progress made in relation to this section of the Act; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20223/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005 commenced for children aged under 5 years with effect from 1st June 2007. Significant work was undertaken by my Department and the HSE in preparation for the commencement of the Disability Act in respect of children under the age of 5 including: the development of standards for the assessment of need process; the publication of Regulations and the Commencement Order; the appointment of Assessment Officers responsible for the coordination of the Assessment of Need; and the appointment of Liaison Officers responsible for the provision of Service Statements.

Meeting the statutory deadlines on providing assessments and service statements has proved challenging to the HSE. Accordingly, my Department and the HSE have agreed a set of performance indicators relating to the implementation of Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005 for children under the age of 5 years which have been included in the 2010 HSE National Service Plan. These are reported on a quarterly basis in the HSE's performance monitoring reports.

In addition, there is ongoing liaison between officials of my Department and the HSE to monitor overall progress on all aspects relating to the implementation of Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005 for children aged under 5 years.