Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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87. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the waiting lists for assessments of needs in CDNTs in County Meath; the way in which the waiting lists in 2025 compares to 2023 and 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49707/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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88. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will give a commitment to not removing the six-month statutory deadline for delivering assessments of needs; the current average waiting time for an assessment of needs to be delivered; the efforts being made to reduce waiting times for delivering assessments of needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50248/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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This Government recognises that waiting times for Assessment of Need (AON) are too long and have a significant impact on delivering on the needs of children and their families. Both this Department and the HSE are committed to addressing delays in the delivery of Assessments of Need and have been working intensively to progress measures to achieve this. The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for the Government.

It is important to emphasise 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 or Mental Health Services. Nevertheless, demand for AONs has increased significantly in recent years, a reflection of both the increase in population and of families exploring all options for accessing services for their child.

It is an acknowledged fact that the waiting list for AON is growing as demand outstrips the capacity of the public system. The HSE system for collating AON data does not provide detail on the waiting time for the delivery of Assessments of Needs. However, the HSE has reported that the average duration of the assessment process was 24.93 months for the AON reports completed nationally in the most recent quarter (Q2 2025). As this is a national figure, there will be regional variations with some AONs being delivered within a shorter timeframe.

Over the past year, there has been a noted 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 Targeted Waitlist Initiative. The Initiative targets those families waiting longest for AONs, with the HSE reimbursing clinicians directly through the procurement of capacity from approved private providers. 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.

While I remain committed to utilising private capacity to support the completion of AON into 2026, 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, Liaison Officers and administrative support.

As well as these operational measures, officials in this Department are working with HSE senior management and experienced clinicians to identify relevant legislative changes relating to Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005, which addresses Assessment of Need, with the intention of bringing forward legislation in the latter half of this year. I would emphasise this process is to support effectiveness and efficiency within the Assessment of Need process. It will not affect the statutory right of any individual to access an Assessment of Need or the statutory timeframes set out in the Act.