Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
34. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of assessments of need that were completed through private outsourcing and the number completed by statutory services for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; and for the cost of the privately outsourced assessments of need for each of those years. [72526/25]
View answerThe Government recognises the need for reform of the Assessment of Need process to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of assessment of need reports to children and their families.
It is important to emphasise that children do not require an Assessment of Need to access health services, including Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or Mental Health Services.
Section 8 of the Disability Act, 2005 makes provision for the carrying out of Assessments of Need, including the appointment of assessment officers by the HSE. They are responsible for carrying out assessments of applicants for assessments of need or for arranging for them to be carried out by other persons with appropriate experience. The latter can include the procurement of clinical assessments from private providers.
Clinical assessments undertaken as part of the Assessment of Need process can be provided by both private providers and HSE clinicians. Data is not currently available on the number of completed assessment reports where clinical assessments from private providers were requested.
Notwithstanding this, the HSE assessment officers are solely responsible for the production of assessment reports as set out in Section 8(7) of the Act.
Since 2022, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of completed assessments of need with a 30% increase in 2024 compared to 2023. This trend has continued this year with a 57% increase in completed assessments in the first nine months of the year compared to 2024.
• 2020: 3,911
• 2021: 8,353
• 2022: 3,071
• 2023: 3,205
• 2024: 4,162
• 2025: 4,544 (to end September)
The HSE reports that funding was provided in a number of years to address overdue Assessment of Need applications, including:
• In 2020, funding of €7.8m was provided for both the public system and for the procurement of clinical assessments from private providers
• In 2022, funding of €11m was provided to commission clinical assessments from the private sector, with a focus on diagnostic autism assessments
The Assessment of Need Targeted Waitlist Initiative was introduced in May 2024 to support the delivery of Assessments of Need to those families who have been waiting longest. Under this Initiative, the HSE provides for the procurement of clinical assessments from approved private providers.
In 2024, funding of €8.23m was provided under the Initiative while €14.7m has been utilised to the end of September 2025.
Recent HSE data shows that over 6,300 clinical assessments have been commissioned from private providers since the Initiative started in June 2024. Budget 2026 provides for the continuation of this Initiative next year with €20 million provided for the delivery of some 6,000 clinical assessments.
Ensuring that there are sufficient resources allocated to the delivery of the Assessment of Need process, both in terms of staffing and financial resources, continues to be focus for the Department and the HSE.
In 2026, the HSE is establishing eleven new teams, initially, to support HSE assessment processes, including Assessments of Need. Each team will include a psychologist, a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist, and an administrator, to provide clinical guidance where required throughout the process.
Work is also ongoing to increase the staffing capacity of the HSE Assessment of Need Teams including assessment officers, liaison officers and administrative supports.
The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for Government.
