Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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209. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on CDNT waiting lists for assessments and therapies in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28156/26]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Government is committed to ensuring that children with disabilities and their families who need early intervention and therapy input can access that support in a timely way.

While clinical assessments take place regularly under Primary Care Services, through Children’s Disability Network Teams and other health providers, an Assessment of Need is a specific assessment process carried out by the Health Service Executive under the Disability Act 2005, to determine whether a child has a disability as defined within the Act. If it is determined that they do, assessments are arranged to identify the health and education needs of the person with a disability and the services required to meet those needs.It is important to note that children do not require an Assessment of Need to access health services, including Primary Care Services, Children’s Disability Network Teams or Mental Health Services.

Demand for Assessments of Need has increased significantly in recent years, reflecting both the increase in population and the number of families exploring all options to access services for their child. Unfortunately, this demand is outpacing the capacity of the system to respond, with the result that there were 20,209 applications overdue for completion nationwide at the end of 2025, according to the most recently available Health Service Executive data.

On a positive note, there has been continued improvement in the number of completed Assessment of Need reports, with 5,939 reports completed in 2025. This is a 43% increase nationally compared to the number completed in 2024.

The Health Service Executive provides Assessment of Need data on a quarterly basis. This data is not available by County but is available at Local Health Office level. The most recent available data shows that, in Galway Local Health Office, 488 Assessment of Need reports were overdue for completion at the end of 2025. This number includes all assessment reports that were not completed within 6 months of receipt of an application.

These numbers may reflect the notable increase in applications for Assessment of Need in Galway Local Health Office, with 447 applications received in 2025, compared to 113 applications in 2024.

Most children and young people with disabilities can have their needs met through mainstream services across a range of Government Departments and Agencies. However, children and young people with complex needs may require access to health and social care supports and services delivered by Children’s Disability Network Teams.

It is important to note that a diagnosis is not required to access a Children’s Disability Network Team.

Whilst recognising that there is more to do, real progress has been made in reducing the Children’s Disability Network Team waiting list. Health Service Executive preliminary data indicates that the national Children’s Disability Network Team waiting list has reduced by 48%, from 16,522 children awaiting an initial contact in 2023, to 8,648 children at the end of February 2026.

Preliminary data for February 2026 reports that Children’s Disability Network Teams are providing services and supports nationally for 45,141 children, and strategies and supports for waitlisted children with urgent needs, where staffing resources allow.

There are six Children’s Disability Network Teams providing services and supports for children and young people with complex needs and their families in Galway, and they are part of the Health Service Executive’s West and North West Health Region.

These six Children’s Disability Network Teams are West Galway, West Galway City, Central Galway East Galway City, North Galway, East Galway South Roscommon and Roscommon North East Galway.

Preliminary interim metrics reported by the Health Service Executive indicated that 470 children were waiting to access these six teams at the end of February last. Notwithstanding this, it should be noted that preliminary data from the Health Service Executive indicated that 3,344 children across these six teams were on an open caseload at the end of February.

This Government recognises that delays faced by families in accessing Assessments of Need and the Children’s Disability Network Teams are unacceptable. There has been intensive work by this Department and the Health Service Executive to address this.

The Government has provided funding for additional posts to enhance the capacity of Children’s Disability Network Teams and shorten the waiting times in recent years, with further investment in both Budgets 2025 and 2026 to fund additional therapy posts and clinical trainee places.

The overall Health Service Executive Disability Budget for 2026 has seen a growth to more than €3.8 billion, which equates to a nearly 20% increase from the previous year.

In December 2025, Government announced a series of improvements to the Assessment of Need process which will make the process more effective and efficient for children and families. Over time, this should lead to a reduction in the waiting time to receive an assessment. This reform includes legislative reform and operational improvements to support the efficiency and effectiveness of the Assessment of Need process.

The proposed legislative changes will not remove any rights for parents to apply for an Assessment of Need for their child. They also will not alter the statutory six-month timeline set out in the Disability Act.

The General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill has been published on the Department’s website. The Joint Committee on Disability Matters has published its report, following pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill, and the Department is considering its recommendations. An www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/from-subject-received-size-categories-aoife-carragher-dcde-fw-dcde-website-aon-1532-1-mb/

has been published, providing information on Assessment of Need and the proposed changes for parents and any other interested stakeholders.

It is important to recognise that legislation is only a part of the response. The Department is working with the Health Service Executive to identify further opportunities to enhance processes, improve training, and increase administrative supports for Health Service Executive Assessment Officers who are responsible for the production of assessment reports. This includes the establishment of working groups to address learning and development needs and to develop statutory guidelines.

The Health Service Executive is also implementing actions to address the wider issue of access to services and supports for children with disabilities, including:

• Introduction of a Single Point of Access system by the Health Service Executive in 2026. This should make it easier for families to be referred to the right service or services, whether that is a Primary Care Service, or a Children’s Disability Network Teams and/or a Mental Health Service. It aims to streamline referrals and reduce duplication, so children do not end up on multiple waiting lists.
• Implementation of the Autism Assessment and Intervention Pathways Protocol by the Health Service Executive in early 2026. The Protocol will provide a standardised assessment process across Primary Care Services, Mental Health and Disability Services. It will be the preferred assessment route for autism.
• The creation of eleven new Health Service Executive teams, initially, to support assessment processes, including Assessment of Need, providing clinical guidance and administrative supports.
• The Health Service Executive are currently developing a Service Improvement Plan 2026-2027-Disability Service for Children and Young People. This will build on improvement works started under the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026, Disability Services for Children and Young People.
• A dedicated Disability Workforce Strategy will be developed by the Health Service Executive in 2026, to meet growing service demands and address recruitment and retention challenges across specialist disability services, including Children’s Disability Network Teams.
• The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system and the timely provision of health and social care supports for children and young people with disabilities continues to be a priority for this Government.