Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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94. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average waiting time for assessment of needs in the Dublin Midwest constituency; the steps which are being taken to reduce waiting times in the Dublin Midwest area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61910/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The delivery of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system is a priority for the Government. There has been intensive work by this Department and the HSE to deliver actions to achieve this.

It is important to note that children do not require an Assessment of Need to access health services, including Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or Mental Health Services.

However, demand for Assessments of Need has increased significantly in recent years. This reflects both the increase in population and the number of families exploring all options to access services for their child.

The HSE reports that in Quarter 3 of 2025, the national average time needed to complete the assessment process was 27.15 months. As this is a national figure, there will be regional variations with some AONs being delivered within a shorter timeframe.

Over the past 2 years, there has been a noted improvement in the number of completed Assessments. Over 4,100 were completed in 2024, an increase of 30% compared to 2023.

HSE data shows this trend is continuing with a 57% year-on-year increase in completed assessments in the first nine months of this year.

In Dublin North West, the Local Health Area covering the majority of the Dublin Mid-West Constituency, 393 Assessments were completed in the first 9 months of this year. This is over twice as many as the 186 completed assessments for the same period of 2024.

These improvements have been achieved by a number of measures, including the Assessment of Need Targeted Waitlist Initiative. This focuses on those families waiting longest for Assessments of Need.

Under this Initiative, the HSE procures clinical assessments from approved private providers. Over 6,300 clinical assessments have been commissioned from private providers since the Initiative started in June 2024.

Budget 2026 provides for the continuation of this Initiative next year with €20 million provided for the delivery of some 6,000 clinical assessments.

However, we must also 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
• changes to processes where necessary to ensure an efficient and effective system.

It is intended to bring forward this legislation before the end of this year. 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.

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