Dublin City Council is looking to make Dublin an autism-friendly city. Of course, that is really welcome and important, particularly for our neurodiverse community. I would like to highlight an issue my party colleague Councillor Kourtney Kenny raised at the council meeting when this matter was discussed earlier this week. She has been to the fore in fighting for neurodiverse communities. At the meeting, she highlighted an issue impacting a significant number of families with neurodiverse children. When children are diagnosed with a disability, they receive a payment to help them access services that they will need as part of their health. A significant number of families have contacted Councillor Kenny and me about a delay in the payment when children turn 16. At least in the cases of the people and families who have contacted us, it can take one and a half to two years for that application to be processed.

These families are clearly holding on by a thread. They are already struggling to access services and activities for their children, and the last thing they need is delayed access to this payment. It really adds to their stress. At every turn, families with neurodiverse children face obstacles. I think that is acknowledged by everyone. This situation contrasts with the big bonuses being dished out to semi-State CEOs by the Government. In the recent budget, people with disabilities were left worse off. Neurodiverse children who turn 16 are being made to wait for the payments they desperately need. Groups like Neurodiversity Irishtown, Ringsend and Pearse Street, NIRP, and Involve Autism do such fantastic work in picking up the pieces left by Government failure. If it was not for groups like them, neurodiverse children would just be forgotten about, as was the case in the past. The Minister needs to come in here and explain what is being done to ensure the disability payment is not delayed when a child turns 16.