Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
855. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has any plans to address an issue where delays in processing assessments of needs have impacted parents’ ability to apply for related social welfare support within the required timeframes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5826/26]
View answerThe delivery of an effective, efficient Assessment of Need system is a priority for the Government. There has been intensive work by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the HSE to address delays in the provision of Assessments of Need.
Under 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 is important to note that children do not require an Assessment of Need to access health services, including HSE Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or Mental Health Services.
Additionally, an Assessment of Need report should not be used as a supporting document for any service, grant, payment or other supports provided by a Government department or its aegis bodies. There is no provision within the Disability Act, 2005 for Assessment of Need reports to be used for this purpose.
In recent years the Assessment of Need system has come under significant strain with the demand for assessment of need reports outstripping the capacity of the HSE to deliver. This demand has a direct impact on the delivery of services by the HSE to children with a disability.
As part of the work to address this complex issue, Department officials have examined the drivers of demand, one of which is the possible use of Assessment of Need reports by families to inform applications for supports, services and grants across a range of government departments.
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality is engaging with other Departments, including the Department of Social Protection, to ensure that references to an Assessment of Need report, as a supporting or ancillary document, has been removed from any benefits or supports application process.
If there is a specific instance where an individual has experienced delays in accessing a payment, they should raise this matter with the Department of Social Protection.
The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for the Government.
