On Monday I was contacted by another parent in my constituency highlighting waiting times for those who have completed the assessment of need process and are waiting for their initial appointment with the given disability team in the constituency, of which there are three. I am sure the Taoiseach is acutely aware that a child with developmental, learning or behavioural difficulties is now expected to wait up to 36 months, three years, for clinical assessment following the assessment of need. That is an eternity for a child in primary school, and it is getting worse, not better. The children of my constituency and of Ireland are being let down by this service, and many are having to resort to private assessment, as the Taoiseach will know, which is prohibitively expensive. Will the Government do more to assist in the provision of timely clinical support for parents of children with disabilities?

Additional resources have been allocated in the form of additional therapists being recruited. We will continue to prioritise this because it was an initiative of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, that led to a rapid decline in waiting times for assessments of need. There had been very long waiting times for them.

I accept that, but that has moved the problem.

The next stage is, having reduced significantly waiting times for assessments of need, that there has to be a corresponding reduction in intervention wait times, with intervention coming soon after the assessment is made in order to help children with particular and additional needs. I accept that point. We will-----

I call on Deputy Clarke.