Louth TD calls on government to "stop breaking the law"

“The Government must stop breaking the law” when it comes to the more than 18,000 children waiting on an assessment of need by the HSE, Dundalk TD Ruairi Ó Murchú has said.

The Sinn Féin TD was speaking during his party’s motion on the issue, which was not opposed by the government.
Deputy Ó Murchú said it was “a terrible indictment of the State and the entire system that we are reliant on 15-year-old Cara Darmody to hold feet to the flames.”

He said it was only right that solidarity was shown to the Irish Wheelchair Association, who protested outside the Leinster House ahead of the motion.

Deputy Ó Murchú said the IWA and other groups “made the absolutely necessary point that those with disabilities, who were promised so much before the election, have been failed so miserably.”

He said: “I do not know how many times we can be back here talking about assessment of need. There are now 18,097 [who] are waiting beyond six months for an assessment of need and the figure is heading towards 24,000 to 25,000.

“There is a backlog that needs to be dealt with. There is no point in us constantly being in here and hearing about assessment hubs being put together when we do not see this figure moving.

“I accept there are more children on the assessment of need list than there had been previously because in the past people were put on primary care lists and were able to get services but those services are not there anymore, meaning they have no choice. The system is putting people on the assessment of need list.”

He further said that the biggest gripe a lot of parents have is being told you do not need the assessment of need to receive therapies.

Deputy Ó Murchú continued: “One of the promises was that the issue of requiring an assessment of need for an appropriate school place was going to be resolved but it is not resolved yet.

“I have no problem if a parent makes the determination they have a decent and proper means of being assessed for autism and then they can get proper therapies. I have absolutely no issue with that, if they decide and their rights are not removed in relation to AON.

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“However, it is not promises they need. They need to see a roadmap. I do not know how many times we have been in here and have talked about a single point of access because the other thing parents give out about is the fact you have no one to go to.

“We need to make sure we do the workforce planning and take the emergency action to clear these backlogs and we need the Government to stop breaking the law.”