Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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2514. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions her Department is taking to reduce the backlog of over 14,000 overdue assessments of need for children with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44193/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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2517. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department is working with the HSE to develop a long-term plan to ensure timely access to assessments, therapies and supports for children with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44196/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2514 and 2517 together.

Over the past year, there has been an improvement in the number of completed Assessments with over 4,100 completed in 2024, an increase of 30% compared to 2023. Recent HSE data shows that this trend is continuing this year with a 58% increase in completed assessments in the first six months of the year, compared to the same period last year. This has been achieved by a number of measures, including the Assessment of Need waiting list initiative which funds the procurement of capacity from private providers to deliver assessments, targeting those families waiting longest. Funding of €9.5m has been provided for the initiative this year and HSE data to the end of June 2025 shows that almost 5,000 assessments have been commissioned from private providers since the initiative began in June 2024.

This Government absolutely recognises that waiting times for Assessment of Need (AON) are far too long and have a significant impact on delivering on the needs of children and their families. Most HSE figures data demonstrates that, at the end of June, there were over 16,500 Assessment of Need applications overdue for completion nationwide. This is an 9% increase on the number overdue at the end of March 2025. Both this Department and the HSE have been working intensively to progress measures to reduce waiting times for an AON.

While I remain committed to utilising private capacity to support the completion of AON into the future, we cannot rely on the private sector indefinitely so we must ensure that the public system can meet the clearly growing demand. My Department is working with the HSE to ensure the delivery of actions to support the efficient delivery of Assessments of Need within the public system. This includes improved training for staff involved in the delivery of AONs, additional administrative supports, and plans to increase the numbers of Assessment Officers and Liaison Officers in areas with the longest waiting lists for AON.

In addition to these specific measures related to AON, there are wider systemic reforms ongoing such as the introduction of a single point of access which will provide a streamlined referral process for children that meets their healthcare needs. This approach will provide some clarity to parents about the path to take within the healthcare system when seeking supports for their child. I believe that the introduction of this “no wrong door” approach should, over time, reduce demand for AON services as parents will be able to gain access to the appropriate supports for their child.

As well as 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 is important to note that any changes will not affect the statutory right of any individual to access an AON.

The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for the Government.