Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Minister Rabbitte's recent announcement about a waiting list initiative for assessments of need and the procurement of private assessments. I sincerely hope those assessments can be carried out as quickly as possible. We are all well aware that there have been totally unacceptable delays for many years in children getting assessments of need and follow-up therapies. We must ensure that these children get their assessments in time because they determine their school placement. If the Minister can use the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, or any other mechanism to buy in additional capacity to minimise the delays in children obtaining these assessments, it would be a good day's work. I cannot stress enough, as I have done so often in this Chamber, the urgency of ensuring that those children get assessments and the necessary follow-up treatments in a timely manner.

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