I want to raise the concerning issue of waiting times for assessment of need for children in County Laois. I received a letter from the HSE dated 3 December 2025, stating that 870 children in the Laois-Offaly area are currently waiting to be reviewed by the assessment officer to determine the eligibility of progress for assessment. For those deemed eligible, the average waiting time is 21 months, almost two years, before beginning the process of accessing supports. The HSE did not provide me with specific figures but the scale of the backlog is undeniable. The families are in distress and children are being denied critical early intervention. Even more troubling is that the HSE confirmed to me that 95% of the assessments have been outsourced to private providers but waiting times are not improving.

The current situation is not sustainable and urgent action is needed to ensure these children are not left behind.

I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge that many people in all of our constituencies are waiting too long for an assessment of need. We have seen increased resourcing of this over the past number of years but a doubling of demand since 2020, which has put significant pressure on the overall service. For example, approximately 9,570 applications were received in the first nine months of this year alone. We have significantly resourced this in the current year but also in budget 2026, with a 20% increase in disability funding. This will provide for significant recruitment support and increased provision of assessment of need.

Complementing the resource allocation, we also need to reform the assessment of need process to make it much more efficient and effective for many of the children who are waiting for an assessment of need. We also need to increase the provision of therapies for many of the people in communities we represent. That is complemented by the waiting list initiative. The legislative reforms that will be progressed by the Minister, Deputy Foley, and Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, will make a difference in improving the process. Ultimately, we want to vindicate the rights of young people so there is a quicker process around the assessment of need and they get the therapy and intervention from the allied health professionals and providers.