2717. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children placed on waiting lists for assessment of needs in counties Cavan and Monaghan, respectively, in each of the years 2020 to 2025, inclusive; the number of children in each county, for each year, who received an assessment of needs within six months, 12 months and within a longer timeframe, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57987/26]

The delivery of an effective, efficient Assessment of Need system is a priority for the Government.

Children do not require an Assessment of Need report to access health services, including Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or 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 the number of families exploring all options to access services for their child. From 2024 to 2025 applications increased from 10,690 to 13,186 with 7,100 applications already received in the first 6 months of this year. This demand is outpacing the capacity of the system to respond, resulting in over 23,000 applications overdue for completion at the end of June 2026.

There has been intensive work by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the HSE to address delays in the provision of Assessments of Need. This is evident in the continued improvement in the number of completed Assessment of Need reports with 5,939 reports completed nationally in 2025. This is a 43% increase compared to the number completed in 2024. The HSE reports that 3,043 Assessment of Need reports were completed in the first six months of 2026. This improvement is welcome and must continue.

Assessment of Need data is not provided by the HSE at county level but is available at Regional Health Area (RHA) and Local Health Office (LHO) level. Data on the number of Assessment of Need applications, the number of completed AON reports and the number of applications overdue for completion (at year end) for Cavan/Monaghan LHO for the years 2020 to date is provided in Table 1 below.

The duration of the Assessment of Need process varies for each individual application and is dependent on a number of factors including the complexity of each case and whether multi-disciplinary or single discipline input and/or clinical assessments are required. As such, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of waiting time for individual assessments. However, the HSE reports that in Q2 2026, the average duration of the assessment process per report completed nationally was 24.3 months. As this is a national figure, there will be regional variations with some AONs being delivered within a shorter timeframe.

Table 1: Assessment of need applications, completed reports and overdue reports in Cavan-Monaghan

In December 2025 Government announced a series of improvements to the Assessment of Need process 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. This includes legislative reform and operational improvements to support the efficiency and effectiveness of the Assessment of Need process.

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

The General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill has been published on the Department’s website. assets.gov.ie/static/documents/2fc0c49e/20260324-FAQ-Version-1.1-CLEARED.pdf

has also been published, providing information on Assessment of Need and the proposed changes for parents and any other interested stakeholders.

It is important to recognise that 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 reports. This includes the establishment of working groups to address learning and development needs and to develop statutory guidelines.

The HSE is also implementing 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 in 2026 which should make it easier for families to be referred to the right service, whether that is primary care, CDNT or mental health services. It aims to streamline referrals and reduce duplication, so children do not end up on multiple waiting lists.

- Implementation by the HSE of the Autism Assessment and Intervention Pathways Protocol, announced in May 2026, which will provide a standardised assessment process across primary care, mental health and disability services. It will be the preferred assessment route for autism. A dedicated assets.gov.ie/static/documents/2fc0c49e/20260324-FAQ-Version-1.1-CLEARED.pdf for the Protocol is also available on the Department’s website.

- The creation of eleven new HSE teams, initially, to support assessment processes, including AON, 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.