What does Government plan to do regarding what can only be described as a crisis in children's disability services? The progressing disability services model was established. Children's disability network teams, CDNTs, were set up throughout the country in 2021, but they are not working. The delay in addressing this crisis will have knock-on consequences on all of those children who require services and on their ability to live independently. Early intervention is key, yet the delay in this will mean that we are creating a significant level of dependency. As it stands, the number of applications overdue for completion for assessment of needs stands at 12,722 at the end of quarter 3. That is a 30% increase on the end of last year. The HSE is outsourcing the assessments of needs to private operators, private psychologists and so on, and the cost of that keeps rising as well. We are spending money on vital services but there is no oversight of it and the price keeps going up. There is not even a standardised assessment of needs process. Parents tell me that sometimes it only takes an hour and a half. For over €3,000, an hour and a half for an assessment of needs does not sound right to me. How will it be addressed?

I never supported progressing disability services when I was in opposition when it was first brought in in 2013. I do not believe it is working and I do not believe it has worked. I believe a multidisciplinary school-led programme should be developed with multidisciplinary therapy teams in schools, beginning with special schools. I recall a time when special schools had therapists on-site and it worked. Progressing disability services was of the view that we should take them out of the special schools and have a broader service for a wider population, but what seems to have happened is that the service has been diluted and too much burden was placed on the CDNTs, which have large numbers. It is not simple but in my view, it clearly has not worked. I am making our commitments as a political party in respect of the multidisciplinary team-based approach in schools. That is a red line issue for me before I go into any other government again. There are issues on the clinical side and with clinical governance, which I get, but what is going on cannot be allowed to continue.