9. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to address the waiting time for assessments of needs, considering there are in excess of 18,000 children waiting for such an assessment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73106/25]

Sentiment score: 0.01

More than 18,000 children are currently waiting for an assessment of need and this figure is expected to increase to between 22,000 and 25,000 by the end of the year. These are children whose lives are suspended. They are waiting for assessments so they can receive the medical and educational supports necessary for their continued development. As the Minister of State will be aware, early intervention is crucial and that intervention is being denied to many children. The long waiting lists affect development as they cannot access the supports they need. How will the changes the Minister proposed last week assist in rectifying this breach of the law?

Sentiment score: -0.09

My concern about the changes announced last week are that they risk deepening the chaos already prevalent in special education and that we are placing an additional administration burden on educators. In Limerick, for instance, 259 children are waiting for an assessment of need and none of them was met within the statutory timeline so the Government is failing those children with zero of 259 children having been met. The fact remains that the Government is in daily breach of the law by not honouring the requirement to provide an assessment of need within six months. I urge the Minister to initiate a new campaign to recruit people to services, to advertise it properly - unfortunately, that was not done the last time - and, if sufficient applications are not received, to expand the drive internationally if we need to do so. The removal of the need for a formal diagnosis to access a special class or special school placement and its replacement raises concerns, not only with me, but with the teachers' unions which said they were not consulted in advance of last week's announcement, which is disappointing to say the least. It is not acceptable for this responsibility to be pushed onto educators without them even being consulted. Decisions on the necessary supports should remain the responsibility of qualified educational and disability professionals.

Sentiment score: -0.34

Last week's announcement was an attempt to shift responsibility to schools and mask the failure overseen by this and previous Governments. However, I do note that each team will include a psychologist, a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist and an administrator. Where will they come from? Is it not a better approach to have a proper recruitment campaign and try to access the resources that exist that we have not been able to harness so far? The change will not remove any rights for parents to apply for an assessment of need for their children nor will it alter their statutory six month-timeframe in the Disability Act. It does not explain how the Government will achieve this legal obligation of accessing an assessment of need within a six-month period. Will the Minister of State advise how this change will assist these children who are waiting for 27 months or more for an assessment? These children need their assessments and they need to have them completed within the six-month period. What we and the children need to see is an urgent workforce plan to recruit and, more importantly, to retain the staff we have already to deliver this important service without breaching the rights of these children. Every month and every single day that an assessment is delayed impacts children.

Sentiment score: -0.03