Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
80. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the greatest length of time a child is waiting in Laois-Offaly to have a referral for an assessment of needs, AON; and the greatest length of time currently to have an AON completed. [72810/25]
View answerUnder the Disability Act, an Assessment of Need is an assessment process carried out by the HSE where a person is of the opinion that he/she may have a disability, for anyone born after 1st June 2002. It first establishes whether the person has a disability (as defined within the Act). It then identifies the health and education needs of the person with a disability and the services required to meet those needs
It should be noted than an Assessment of Need is not required to access health services provided by Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or CAMH’s. Nevertheless, demand for Assessments of Need has grown on an exceptional basis in recent years.
HSE Midlands Integrated Healthcare Area advises that, for eligible applications, the average wait time to be progressed for an assessment is 21 months from application date. The greatest length of time currently to have an Assessment of Need completed is approx. 27 months.
It should be noted that significant efforts have been made to increase the completion rates of Assessments of Need in Laois/Offaly. This is reflected in the completion of 172 assessment of need reports in the first 3 quarters of 2025 which is a 45% increase when compared to the same period in 2024. Conversely, there has been a continued growth in demand for Assessments of Need in Laois/Offaly increasing by 14% in the first nine months of 2025, compared to the same period last year.
Last week, Government announced a series of reforms to the Assessment of Need process which will make the process more effective and efficient for children and families. Over time, this should lead to a reduction in the waiting time to receive an assessment. This reform includes legislative and operational reforms to support the efficiency and effectiveness of the Assessment of Needs process.
The proposed legislative changes will not remove the right for parents to apply for an Assessment of Need for their child, nor will they alter the statutory six-month timeline set out in the Disability Act.
The provision of an effective and efficient delivery of assessments of need remains a priority for the Government.
