Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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473. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of equipment issued under AIMS in 2023; and the type of equipment issued and the time it took for the equipment to be issued to educational providers, in tabular form. [3881/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Level 5 of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a targeted support and recognises that some children require specialised equipment, appliances and assistive technology, depending on their individual needs. Supports include grants for early learning and care settings who may require equipment or minor structural alterations to ensure that children with a disability can participate in the ECCE programme.

Information is provided for the calendar year 2023 in the table below, including the number of items of equipment supplied, and the type and the average processing time. Equipment is delivered to a service by third parties under contract to Pobal.

Much of the equipment provided needs to be tailored and built to an individual child's needs and may therefore take longer to build and deliver. This can mean a lead-in time is necessary to build and/or adjust such equipment in consultation with key specialists. As a result, providers may occasionally experience delays in equipment supply.