Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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213. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide his response to the recommendations in a report (details supplied) concerning progressing disability services for children and young people. [15503/22]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the publication of the recent report by Inclusion Ireland (PDS Services Report 2022), the issues highlighted and the recommendations contained within same.

I am acutely aware of the issues that concern families with regard to children’s disability services and have engaged extensively with advocate groups and individual parents. The issues highlighted by Inclusion Ireland reflect those raised by parents and advocate groups, which primarily focus on waiting times, appropriate levels of communication and the quality of service provided for children.

The establishment of the Children’s Disability Network Teams across the country and the additional funding provided to enhance their respective staffing capacities is expected to address some of the issues identified in Inclusion Ireland’s report. As Minster of State for Disabilities, I am actively engaged with the HSE, as the relevant service provider for children’s disability services, with a view to progressing solutions on the range of challenges identified across the services, in order to ensure that children and their families have access to timely and suitable therapy interventions.

I recognise the importance of ensuring all stakeholder views are represented in the context of improving and enhancing services and I would be happy to meet with Inclusion Ireland to discuss the content of their report.