One of the objectives of the programme for Government was to ensure that early intervention services for young children with disability would be available universally across the State. This is particularly important in terms of the various therapies that children get as outpatients. I accept that this is not just for one Department. What is being done by the Government to reduce the length of time it is taking to recruit people to provide these therapies and to make sure that, for example, absences such as illness or maternity leave are covered fully?

There are huge gaps in the service, particularly in my constituency, where there are waiting lists to which we see no end.

First, I accept the points the Deputy is making. There are huge gaps. In my view, the roll-out of the progressing disability services, PDS, model has been very problematic and challenging over the years. I would have had my own views prior to coming into government of the PDS model. I have engaged with the Ministers for Health and Education, the Minister of State with responsibility for special needs education and the Minister of State with responsibility for disability services, Deputy Rabbitte. We have had a number of meetings. Our first decision was to make sure special schools would have therapy supports restored to them that had, as part of the wider PDS model, been taken from them and spread to that wider model. There is a philosophy behind the PDS model, which I have to acknowledge, but I believe there needs to be strong multidisciplinary teams in education settings. That is a view I have. Recruitment is an issue.

Thank you, Taoiseach. The time is up.

Within different parts of the health services, therapists can be recruited more easily than seems to be the case for the disability sector. That is a challenge. We are meeting regularly now to try to deal with this and the HSE is part of those meetings.