243. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the training or guidance being provided to assessment officers and multidisciplinary teams to ensure that complex presentations, including masking and twice-exceptionality, are recognised under the revised model. [31349/26]
Topics / Disabilities Assessments
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsDisabilities Assessments
581 questions from 109 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
581
questions
571 written, 10 oral
109
TDs have asked
11
parties and groups
Independents counted together
8
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 13 |
| February 2025 | 49 |
| March 2025 | 33 |
| April 2025 | 28 |
| May 2025 | 24 |
| June 2025 | 8 |
| July 2025 | 53 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 23 |
| October 2025 | 24 |
| November 2025 | 34 |
| December 2025 | 33 |
| January 2026 | 23 |
| February 2026 | 30 |
| March 2026 | 61 |
| April 2026 | 76 |
| May 2026 | 16 |
| June 2026 | 13 |
| July 2026 | 22 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 12 |
| October 2026 | 6 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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33
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28
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24
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19
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15
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15
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13
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11
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
244. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department intends to review the implementation of the revised assessment of need framework to ensure that no cohort of children is excluded from identification due to the streamlining of assessment processes. [31350/26]
922. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of assessment of need applications overdue for completion under statutory timeframes as of 31 March 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29727/26]
931. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of assessment of need applications which were received in County Galway for the years 2020 to 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of these applications in County Galway which were overdue for completion at the end of each of those years including the latest data in 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statemen…
932. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on her Department's plan to reform the assessment of need process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29795/26]
957. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a full breakdown of legal costs and court settlements in cases involving challenges by parents regarding assessment of needs since 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30488/26]
985. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on CDNT waiting lists for assessments and therapies in Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30908/26]
38. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Education and Youth the progress being made to create an alternative to the assessment of needs reports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28204/26]
81. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans for changes to the assessment of need process to access special education places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27854/26]
133. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children on waiting lists for assessment of needs in Dublin Mid-West; the average waiting times for assessments in the area; the steps being taken to reduce waiting times [29175/26]
150. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on assessments of need waiting lists in County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28426/26]
173. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is aware that there is currently a 36 month waiting list for assessment of need in Cork. [28234/26]
197. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in Cavan and Monaghan that received an assessment of need within the statutory timeframe in the years 2024 to date; and the number that did not.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29117/26]
502. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the clinical expertise that will be offered to the autism assessment officers, that will decide on the applications that will go onto the intervention protocol list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29470/26]
511. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health whether any alternative assessment pathways are being offered to children currently waiting for or primary care speech and language therapy an assessment of need or primary care occupational therapy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29512/26]
196. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality given the recent government approval of the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2026 and the planned rollout of the HSE's 'Single Point of Access' system in 2026, the specific guarantees that can be made to parents that these legislative changes will successfully reduce the current assessment of need backlogs without compromising a child'…
267. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on an assessment of need application for a child (details supplied); if she will investigate reports of a significant delay following the incorrect forwarding of the file to a different HSE area; the steps being taken to ensure this child is assessed in accordance with statutory timelines under the Disability Act 2005; …
312. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress that has been made in the rollout of the €20 million allocated in Budget 2026 for the assessment of needs, targeted at a waiting list initiative; the specific programmes or services funded to date; the regional distribution of the funding; the expected outcomes and timelines for completion; and if she will make a state…
1306. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a NEPS psychologist in a school (details supplied) will be replaced to ensure that NEPS assessments can continue as needed for children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24380/26]
2328. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the recently revised assessment of need framework limits or reduces access to cognitive assessment for children, including in cases where intellectual disability is not suspected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23521/26]
2329. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which the revised framework ensures that children with uneven developmental profiles, including those who may be gifted or twice exceptional (i.e. children with both high ability and additional needs such as autism, ADHD, or dyslexia), will be appropriately identified within the system; and if she will make a statement on the…
2330. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has conducted an impact assessment on the way in which the revised model may affect the identification of children whose needs are masked by high cognitive ability or compensatory functioning; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23523/26]
2331. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the safeguards in place to prevent under-identification of such children, particularly in light of evidence that twice-exceptional children are already under-recognised within Irish education and disability services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23524/26]
2332. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department will clarify if access to cognitive or psychological assessment remains available where there is evidence of significant intra-individual discrepancy, asynchronous development, or unexplained underachievement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23525/26]
2333. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether consideration has been given to the potential for increased reliance on private assessments arising from any restriction in public access to cognitive assessment; and the implications this may have for equity of access; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23526/26]