Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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493. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the urgent actions her Department will take to address the backlog of over 14,000 overdue assessments of need for children requiring disability services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40431/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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My Department is committed to reforming the Assessment of Need (AON) process to streamline it for the benefit of children who need it. This is reflected in the current Programme for Government which includes a clear commitment to support families who are waiting for an AON and to ensure children and their families can access the supports they need.

It is important to be aware that, while children have a right to apply for an AON, they do not need one in order to access health services, including those provided by Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) or Mental Health Services. However, it is accepted that the current system is not working as it should for children, many of whom are on long waiting lists for services.

Looking at Assessments of Need, there was a 30% increase in the number of completed assessments in 2024 compared to 2023 and in the first three months of this year, over 1,400 assessments were completed nationally - a 65% increase compared to the same period last year. Nevertheless, demand for AONs is exceeding the capacity of the system, leading to an increasing number of overdue assessment applications. My Department and the HSE are working to address these delays through a number of actions including the improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of the AON process.

One such action is the targeted waiting list initiative which funds the procurement of capacity from private providers to deliver AONs, targeting those families waiting longest. HSE data shows that over 3,600 assessments have been commissioned from private providers between June 2024 and the end of March this year under this initiative, for which funding of €9.5m has been provided this year.

In addition to these operational measures, at the direction of Government, officials in my Department are currently reviewing potential legislative changes in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General to support the effectiveness and efficiency of the AON process. My Department has been working with HSE senior management and experienced clinicians to identify those changes, with the intention of bringing forward legislation in the latter half of this year. It will not affect the statutory right of any individual to access an AON.