Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I again thank both Deputies for raising this important matter and reiterate the full commitment of the Minister of State, her Department and the HSE to pursuing every avenue to ensure access to school-based therapies for children with disabilities in Cork and throughout the country. As the Deputies will be aware, the Taoiseach has convened a new Cabinet committee to deal with children's disability and access to therapists, which has had two meetings to date. I am sure they will welcome the establishment of this new committee to ensure there will be better alignment with the Government's priorities in dealing with assessments of need and the long delays but also to ensure families will have access to practitioners in both community services and the school environment. The Minister of State expects a detailed series of projects arising from the working group, which will be informed on the future direction designed to better align health and education needs. That working group, which is within the roadmap governance structure, is tasked with enhancing engagement between the HSE, the Department of Education, the NCSE and NEPS to optimise integration between health and education and support special schools for the benefit of children with disabilities.

I will ensure the Minister of State is made aware of the issues the Deputies have raised. I again thank them for raising them on behalf of their constituents.

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