Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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528. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of assessment of need applications received by CHO in each of the last five years, in tabular form. [29491/23]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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As this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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529. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if children referred to children's disability network teams by a GP, public health nurse or other health official are automatically added to the assessments of need waiting list as covered by the Disability Act 2005; if not, if they are added to a separate list that is not covered by the Act; where a separate list that is not covered by the Disability Act 2005 is maintained, how a child can be added to the assessments of need waiting list covered by the Act; if this requires an application via an assessment of needs officer; the number of children on a separate list that is not covered by the Act, by CHO; their duration on this list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29493/23]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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As this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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530. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how much it would cost his Department to introduce a €500-per-month payment for the families who have a child/children participating in the AIMs programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29599/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I understand from further clarification that the intent of this payment is to benefit families to support the unmet needs of the child.

It should be noted that income supports fall under the remit of the Department of Social Protection and this question may be more appropriate to that Department.

The Access and Inclusion model (AIM) provides supports without the need diagnosis in the context of the ECCE provision only and is therefore not an appropriate method to assess whether a family may require a payment for any unmet needs outside of this context.

Nevertheless, my Department has undertaken to calculate what such a payment might cost on the basis requested

The number of children approved for targeted supports under Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) Level 4, 5 and 7 supports for the 2022/23 programme call is 7,275.

Based on this figure, if each family were to receive a payment of €500 per-month for 12 months the cost would amount to over €43.5 million. To note, families may include more than one child receiving AIM support. It is not readily possible to identify the number of families with more than one child in AIM, however this likely to be a small number.

More broadly a whole-of-Government approach is required to ensure that everyday costs are reduced for people with disabilities and their families. Advancing disability-inclusive systems of social protection and support in Ireland establishes a critical foundation from which many essential human rights in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities can be realised.

Following the conclusion of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy, work is currently ongoing in DCEDIY to coordinate development of a new national disability strategy. It is important this strategy includes meaningful action to reduce day to day costs for people with disabilities and their families in Ireland.

The Cost of Disability in Ireland report, which was commissioned by the Minister for Social Protection and published in December 2021, will be an important contribution to the evidence base from which actions and commitments in this new strategy are developed across Government throughout 2023.