12. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of people waiting to access children's disability network team, CDNT, services in Cavan and Monaghan for a period up to three months, three to six months, six to 12 months and greater than one year. [49902/25]

Sentiment score: 0.14

The Minister will acknowledge that one of the more difficult parts of our job is dealing with the families of children waiting to access children's disability network team services. My question relates to CDNTs in Cavan and Monaghan. How many children are waiting to access those services for up to three months, from three to six months, up to 12 months and greater than one year?

Sentiment score: -0.02

The Minister of State has outlined that 41 children have been waiting up to three months but, if I am correct, she also said that 334 are waiting over three months. The question itself was fairly specific in asking for more detail with regard to those figures. I wonder if the Minister of State has that data for three to six months, six to 12 months and over a year. From dealing with a number of families in Cavan and Monaghan, which are two distinct CDNTs, I know that in some cases the wait is inordinate, with difficulties in getting initial meetings and then difficulties in accessing occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy after that. In many ways the initial contact is just the beginning of a very hard journey the families have to go through. Does the Minister of State have more detail on those figures so that we can have a better sense of the delays that are there?

Sentiment score: -0.04

I appreciate the Minister of State indicating that she would get that additional information. It might give her a sense of the challenges we have sometimes in actually getting information from the CDNTs. I thank the Minister of State for that and I note what she said with regard to staff recruitment and the need to recruit additional staff and fill vacancies. There is also a big piece of work to be done in retaining the staff that we have. I often comment that probably the most difficult job is for those staff operating within the CDNT, obviously in very stressed conditions. Naturally, they are probably getting the ire of the families who have waited a long time to get them. In a follow-up or supplementary, could the Minister of State give an indication, if she has it, with regard to the number of vacancies that are currently outstanding in Cavan and Monaghan? The figures I have, dating back to spring of this year, show that in Monaghan there were just under ten outstanding vacancies and in Cavan, it was over 12. If the Minister of State has those up-to-date figures I would appreciate them, or, if not, she could follow up in writing with them.

Sentiment score: 0.20