Disability Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-08
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Conor D. McGuinness (SF), Waterford

I thank the Minister of State for the response. Like her, I want to pay tribute to those who are working in the services. They have, in many cases with one hand tied behind their backs, managed to clear backlogs arising out of the pandemic and they do their work to a really excellent standard. As we know, however, there are ongoing issues in terms of recruitment and retention, with retention being a key issue. That is not to say there is not capacity elsewhere, however, and for those children whose development and ability to live their lives fully is being held back, Government needs to look, in the interim at the very least, at private provision or provision in areas outside of where they live, so that at least they can access some modicum of service in the short term.

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Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:57+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-08