176. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to increase funding and staff assessment of need teams and children’s disability network teams to eliminate the backlogs that delay formal diagnosis (details supplied). [74854/26]

Demand for Assessment of Need has increased significantly in recent years, with applications increasing from 4,700 in 2020 to over 13,000 in 2025, and some 7,100 applications received in the first six months of 2026. The level of demand has exceeded the capacity of the system to meet it and there were 23,282 AON reports overdue for completion by the end of June, according to the most recent data provided by the HSE to the Department.

However, there has also been progress over the past two years with a noticeable increase in the number of completed applications. Over 5,900 AON reports were completed in 2025 – a 43% increase compared to 2024, with 3,043 assessment reports completed in the first six months of 2026. This improvement must continue and more needs to be done to address the backlog and delays in processing applications.

In May 2024, Government introduced the Assessment of Need Targeted Waitlist Initiative to alleviate the backlog of Assessment of Need applications, with a focus on those families who had been waiting the longest. Under this Initiative, funding is provided for the procurement of clinical assessments from approved private providers by the HSE. These clinical assessments are then used to inform the Assessment of Need process and the preparation of assessment of need reports by HSE Assessment Officers.

The use of this private sector capacity can help reduce pressure on HSE clinicians who are delivering services to children and their families.  It also ensures that families are not required to pay for clinical assessments themselves as part of the Assessment of Need process.

The HSE advises that, during the period June 2024 to July 2026, clinical assessments were procured for over 11,600 applicants under the Targeted Waitlist Initiative at a cost of €41.5 million.

In 2026, €20m was provided for the procurement of approximately 6,000 clinical assessments under the Initiative. Funding of €20 million is being provided again in 2027 for the continuation of the Initiative, with the aim of procuring some 6,000 clinical assessments to inform the assessment of need process.

While Government remains committed to utilising private capacity to address the delays with the Assessment of Need process, we cannot rely on the private sector indefinitely and must ensure that the public system can meet the growing demand.

Significant legislative and operational work continues to improve the Assessment of Need process and reduce waiting times. This includes improved training and guidelines for Assessment Officers and targeted amendment of the Disability Act 2005 through the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2026 to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Assessment of Need process.

In addition to its work on improvements to the Assessment of Need process, the Department is also working with the HSE to improve access to services.  The HSE is implementing actions to address the wider issue of access to services and supports for children with disabilities including:

• The Single Point of Access referral model is being introduced and should make it easier for families to be referred to the right service as early as possible.

• The Autism Assessment and Intervention Protocol is being implemented and will be the preferred assessment route for autism assessment.

• The HSE is also in the process of recruiting the first-ever dedicated National Director for Disability as well as six new Regional Disability Leads in the health regions to advance disability services.

The aim of these changes is to facilitate earlier identification of needs so that children receive the right support as quickly as possible. While these changes will take some time to take effect, they should lead to a reduction in waiting times for children and their families across the country.

Progress is also being made on the recruitment of staff to Children’s Disability Network Teams, with the HSE reporting a 31% increase in staffing levels nationwide from October 2022 to June 2026. This equates to an additional 480 Whole-Time Equivalents (WTE), including approximately 350 Health and Social Care Professionals (HSCPs). To continue this growth, the HSE is driving intensive domestic and international recruitment efforts and will undertake a variety of workforce initiatives to support sustained growth of CDNTs and the wider disability service.

Whilst recognising that there is more to do, the HSE has made real progress in reducing waiting lists with HSE preliminary data indicating that the national CDNT waiting list has reduced by 62% from 16,522 children awaiting an initial contact with a Children’s Disability Network Team in 2023 to 6,217 children at the end of June 2026. HSE preliminary data for June 2026 indicates that Children’s Disability Network Teams are providing services and supports nationally for circa 46,000 children and strategies and supports for waitlisted children with urgent needs, where staffing resources allow.

Funding has been made available for Children’s Disability Services to build on existing recruitment initiatives. In 2025 €2.85m in funding was provided, focusing on various positions across CDNTs, whilst a further €8 million was secured in Budget 2026 to allow for the funding of 150 posts to CDNTs, with 80 posts filled year to date and the remainder in varying stages of recruitment. An additional €2.7m has been secured in Budget 2027 to cover the full-year costs of funding these posts. Building on the progress achieved to date, Budget 2027 has allocated €6.3m for an additional 150 posts for Children’s Services. This investment will further increase service capacity and access, support earlier intervention and contribute to better outcomes for children and families.