Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
1028. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way her Department intends to address the long delays for assessments and diagnoses for children with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12423/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder 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 Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or Mental Health Services.
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. However, demand for Assessments of Need has increased significantly in recent years, reflecting both the increase in population and the number of families exploring all options to access services for their child. This growing demand is outpacing the capacity of the system to meet it. This has led to there being just over 20,200 applications overdue for completion nationwide at the end of 2025, according to the most recently available HSE data.
More positively, there has been continued improvement in the number of completed assessment of need reports. Over 5,900 reports were completed in 2025 – a 43% increase compared to 2024 and an 85% increase compared to 2023. This improvement needs to continue.
In December 2025, Government announced a series of changes 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 of Need.
These changes include amendments to Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005, which provides for Assessments of Need. The General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill which outlines these proposed changes was approved by Government on 9 December and has been published on the Department’s website along with an FAQ document. The Bill has been referred to the Joint Committee on Disability Matters for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny.
It is important to note that any proposed legislative changes will not remove any rights 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.
Other changes to support an improved Assessment of Need process include:
• The development of statutory guidelines to ensure that Assessments of Need focus on identifying a child’s needs, engaging in more intensive assessments only where required to identify need. This should help reduce delays and allow therapists to spend more time delivering services.
• A continued focus by the HSE on the training and development of assessment officers.
• The establishment by the HSE of 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, providing clinical guidance throughout the process.
Work has also continued on a number of initiatives to address challenges within the broader system and improve access to and provision of services.
• The HSE will progress implementation of the Autism Assessment and Intervention Pathways Protocol in early 2026. The Protocol will provide a standardised assessment process across primary care, mental health and disability services and will be the preferred assessment route for autism.
• The HSE is introducing a Single Point of Access system, which will make it easier for families to be referred to the right service - whether that is a Children's Disability Network Team, Primary Care, or the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. This aims to streamline referrals and reduce duplication, so children do not end up on multiple waiting lists.
The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for the Government.
