Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
817. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the status of the revised business case submitted by FASD Ireland on 9 April 2026; the timeline for a decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33278/26]
View answerFoetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a prevalent, yet preventable, neuro-developmental disorder caused by prenatal alcohol exposure and is associated with a range of lifelong physical, mental, educational, social, and behavioural difficulties.
On the 9th of April 2026, FASD Ireland CEO Tristan Casson-Rennie forwarded a business case to the HSE as requested in a previous meeting held on the 26th of March 2026.
Upon review, the HSE wrote to FASD Ireland on 15 April 2026, stating that it would be unable to provide funding for the Children’s Disability Network Teams Training or the individual support plan as outlined in the business case as training capacity is extremely limited across teams for 2026 and the HSE must ensure it aligns with agreed priorities.
The HSE did however agree to provide a once off funding of €27,150 for the continuation of the FASD Hub Ireland Helpline service.
On the 1st of May 2026, Minister Higgins held a further meeting online with FASD Ireland, the HSE and DCDE.
In this meeting FASD Ireland agreed to submit a new proposal identifying services they can provide for Q2-Q4 2026 in addition to the telephone service.
