Now that we have a single point of access for the HSE, that will have a huge impact and it will mean that there will be no wrong door. If a child goes to primary care and should be on a CDNT list or vice versa , they will not be put back to the start of the list again. That is a whole-of-HSE approach. The strategy we are working on at the moment is our HSE resourcing strategy. This will be about making sure we are putting the right resources in the right places. It has been very positive for the Deputy’s area in th…

As the Deputy will be aware, on 26 May, the HSE launched the new autism assessment and intervention pathway protocol, or the autism protocol. Once implemented, it will apply to all HSE and HSE-funded providers, as well as private providers. I am delighted that extensive collaboration by Government underpinned the development of the autism protocol. My Department and I remain committed to ongoing engagement with autistic individuals, families and representative organisations to continue to improve access to services…

Absolutely. I am completely happy to say that to the Deputy. As she said in her opening remarks, the success of this depends on people's lived experience. That is exactly what we have used to help shape it. We also had expert input from a clinical advisory group as well as that assessment and pathways working group within the service improvement programme board for the autistic community. That was to ensure there was also a clinical perspective on this. The assessment and pathways working group produced a comprehen…

Absolutely. This process is all about families, children and ensuring that we have appropriate and faster access to the most appropriate clinical decisions. This is also in response to the fact that 40% of assessments, of children who are going through assessments of need, are being diagnosed as autistic. As a result of that, through five years of collaboration, hard work and clinical expertise, this protocol has been designed as part of the response to that. That is not just in Ireland. The OECD finds that there h…

The Deputy is absolutely correct. The delivery of an effective and efficient assessment of need system is a priority for the Government. The Department and the HSE are working intensively to address delays in the provision of assessments of need to children and their families. It is important to reiterate that children do not require an assessment of need report to access health services, such as primary care, children’s disability network teams or mental health services, or education supports. Demand for assessmen…

The Deputy is right; the demand is increasing year on year. It has increased quite exponentially in the last five years. As a result, it has been difficult for us to keep up with demand. Our CDNTs around the country do absolutely incredible work not just with regard to assessments of need, but also, importantly, in the delivery of therapies. It is those interventions that parents and children want. In response to an earlier question of the Deputy's, we spoke about the new autism intervention and pathways protocol. …

The Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that this is dealt with in a comprehensive way. Part of our response will be a series of improvements to the assessment of need process to make it more efficient and effective for children and families. Over time, this will lead to a reduction in the waiting time to receive an assessment of need. I thank the Deputy for his work on the Committee on Disability Matters. From that work, he will know that the general scheme of the disability (amendment) Bill has been pu…

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue, for all of her advocacy on this issue and for her determination to ensure that things improve. I assure her that this is also my determination. The Government fully recognises the importance of providing adequate supports at the right time for children with disabilities throughout the country, including those in County Cavan. As she said, parents are exhausted and need support. That is why the HSE children’s disability services have undergone significant reform …

I thank the Senator. Perhaps the Senator will follow up with me directly in relation to the hydrotherapy and the pool. I will seek an update from HSE as to where that is at. If, as the Senator said, a business case has been approved, I will ask where recruitment is on that particular issue. I reiterate that the Government’s commitment to strengthening services in order that adults and children with disabilities in Ireland are better supported is clear and is backed up by sustained investment in the disabilities sec…

I am taking this debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, who unfortunately is unable to be here this evening as she is attending a meeting of EU heath ministers in Luxembourg. I assure the House she would have been here otherwise and I am sure that Members will appreciate that it just was not possible for her to be here this evening. I have spoken to the Minister and I will seek to reflect her views and the views of the Department in the information provided in t…

I thank Senator Cosgrove for raising this important issue and giving me the opportunity to respond. I met MS Ireland recently and we discussed the prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Sligo and Leitrim. The Senator is correct that an updated business case was submitted by MS Ireland for the recruitment of a multiple sclerosis community worker for the Sligo-Leitrim region. This was received and reviewed by local disability services management on 10 October 2025. The proposal was subsequently escalated to the head of …

Senator Cosgrove is right. There are wonderful supports available through MS Ireland in her region. It provides a range of supports in the community for people with MS, but also for their families, which is really important too. MS Ireland plays an important role when it comes to supporting, educating and advising persons with MS and their families from diagnosis right throughout their journey. Specifically on the north west and Sligo and Leitrim in particular, I confirm that the HSE does remain committed to workin…

I would like to thank Senator Boyhan for raising this important issue and for giving me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the both the Minister, Deputy Foley, and me. We are both in the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. As the Senator mentioned, the national housing strategy for disabled people provides the framework for the delivery of housing for people with all levels of disability. While the housing response itself falls within the remit of the Department of Housing, Local Government and He…

I thank the Senator for that, and for everything he does to raise these very important issues. I reiterate this is a priority for this Government. The Government recognises there is more to do to improve the lived experience of people with disabilities, and that is ultimately what this boils down to. The Senator set out in his own contribution that people are at the heart of this, and that is why we need to ensure we are doubling down on our efforts. The increase in the disability budget for this year, which is 20%…

I move: That, notwithstanding anything in the Order of the Dáil of 5th February, 2025, setting out the rota in which Questions to members of the Government are to be asked, Questions for oral answer following those next set down to the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment shall be set down to Ministers in the following temporary sequence: Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Minister for Social Protection Minister for Transport Minister for Child…

I thank Senator Tully for raising this important issue and offering me the opportunity to respond. I, too, welcome the increase in overall after-school facilities. Many of our communities have benefited from them. I commend the work of the childcare provider in Monaghan that the Senator mentioned. I was not aware of them and it sounds like they are definitely doing a lot of innovative and proactive work in this space. It would be a great opportunity for other childcare providers and regions to learn from. The acces…

I thank the Senator. The programme for Government committed to an expansion of AIM and to its extension to younger children. The current phase of expansion focuses on the development of a model for children under three years to meet the specific needs of that particular age cohort. It is intended that, over time, all children with additional needs who are registered in early learning and childcare services will have access to support under AIM, with consideration to be given at a later date to extending AIM to scho…

I thank Senator Cathal Byrne for raising this important matter on behalf of his fellow constituents in Wexford and for requesting an update on the proposed new campus for South East Technological University in Wexford. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Lawless, as the Senator noted, has previously acknowledged that the SETU campus infrastructure in Wexford is not suitable and that there is a need for a campus that will meet the needs of learners and teaching sta…

I thank the Senator for being such a passionate advocate for this. It is really important that our politicians are champions of key local issues. This is a key local issue for his area, not only for the people he represents in Wexford but also for the region as a whole. I fully accept the Senator's point in relation to the census figures he cited earlier. According to the 2022 census, 37% of people in Wexford have third level degrees, which is substantially below the 46% average across Ireland. The second point the…

I thank Senator Duffy for raising this important issue on behalf of the people he represents in County Mayo. I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. In line with the commitments set out in the programme for Government, this Government will continue to prioritise improving the affordability of healthcare and medicines. This work will continue over the lifetime of this Government. As the Senator is aware, the drugs payment scheme ensures that expenditure on approved pres…