356. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of County Clare children awaiting an assessment of need under the Disability Act 2005, broken down by waiting time. [53841/26]

The delivery of an effective, efficient Assessment of Need system is a Government priority as it is recognised that there are unacceptable delays in accessing Assessments of Need at present.

It is important at the outset to reiterate that children do not require an Assessment of Need report to access health services, including Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams, Mental Health Services, or education supports. However, demand for Assessments of Need has increased significantly in recent years, reflecting both the increase in population and families exploring all options to access services for their child.

While the HSE do not provide Assessment of Need data by county, data is provided by Regional Health Area and Local Health Office (LHO) area. The most recent data provided by the HSE for Clare LHOs is for Q1 2026 and shows that 109 applications for assessment of need were overdue for completion at the end of March with 94 applications overdue for more than 3 months.

There has been intensive work by the Department and the HSE to address delays in the provision of Assessments of Need to children and their families, and progress is being made. While there is regional variation, overall, there has been a notable increase in the number of completed AON reports nationally over the past two years. Over 5,900 reports were completed in 2025 – a 43% increase compared to 2024, and an 85% increase compared to 2023.

In December 2025, Government announced a series of improvements to the Assessment of Need process. This includes legislative and operational changes which will make it more effective and efficient for children and families. Over time, this should lead to a reduction in the waiting time to receive an assessment.

Importantly, the proposed legislative changes will not remove any rights for parents to apply for an Assessment of Need for their child. They will also not alter the six-month timeline in the Act.

The General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill has been published on the Department’s website. The Joint Committee on Disability Matters has published its report, following pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill, and the Department is considering its recommendations. An FAQ document has also been published, at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/assessment-of-needs-process-proposed-changes/, providing information on Assessment of Need and the proposed changes.

Legislation is only a part of the response. The Department is working with the HSE to identify further opportunities to enhance processes, improve training, and increase administrative supports for HSE Assessment Officers who are responsible for the production of Assessment of Need reports.  This includes the establishment of working groups to address learning and development needs and to develop statutory guidelines.

The HSE continues to progress actions to address the wider issue of access to services and supports for children with disabilities including:

• Introduction of a Single Point of Access system by the HSE. The model will be rolled out this year and will make it easier for families to be referred to the right service as early as possible, whether that is primary care, CDNT or mental health services.  It aims to streamline referrals and reduce duplication, so children do not nd up on multiple waiting lists.

• Implementation of the Autism Assessment and Intervention Pathways Protocol which was launched in May 2026. This will provide a standardised assessment process for autism across primary care, mental health and disability services.

• The creation of eleven new HSE teams, initially, to support assessment processes, including Assessment of Need, providing clinical guidance and administrative supports.

It is intended that these improvements to the AON process will result in a noticeable reduction in waiting times for children and their families across the country.