Labour brings Assessment of Needs Campaign to the European Parliament
Labour brings Assessment of Needs Campaign to the European Parliament - The Labour Party
Families waiting years for an assessment of needs for their children are taking a petition to the European Parliament next week calling for the Commission to act against the Irish Government.
Next Wednesday (6th of May), parents will travel to Brussels as guests of Dublin MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, to ask MEPs and the European Commission to investigate Ireland’s failure to meet its legal obligations to children with additional needs.
The petition is being presented to the Petitions Committee by Cllr Alison Field, supported by five other families who contributed their stories, and accompanied by Labour spokesperson on Education Eoghan Kenny TD.
Under the Disability Act 2005, every child in Ireland is entitled to an assessment of needs within six months of application. Today more than 16,000 children are waiting, with an average wait time of nearly 25 months. Some families have been told to wait up to six years.
The families will appear before the committee arguing that the Government’s failure is a breach of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and ask that Ireland be directed to access EU technical assistance and funding, and that their progress is monitored.
Labour Cllr Alison Field said:
“My son James who has severe autism and is totally nonverbal has been failed by our state on so many levels. James was deprived of essential early intervention help while he was left waiting on a list for almost two years for an Assessment of Needs and diagnosis.
“I have been banging this drum for many years now, as have so many parents and advocates. But our government are not listening. They do not seem to realise that they have a duty of care to all children including the children with the highest support needs.
“I am hoping that the European Petition Committee will advise our government and make our government act responsibly in ensuring no child is left behind. That no child is left waiting years for an assessment of needs and an appropriate school place.”
Petitioner Vivienne Sullivan from Kildare said:
“My son Isaac was on the AON list from 2017 to 2025. His file was lost twice, and on another occasion, he was recorded as having been seen when he had not.
“We rang weekly and, in the end, daily. Often the phone was unanswered. He finally had an assessment in March 2025, but he still has no access to services. Isaac is 14 now and has been waiting since he was 5. It’s not acceptable.”
Parent and campaigner and spokesperson for Families Unite for Services and Support (FUSS) Rebecca O’Riordan said:
“The failure of the legislation to deliver what it set out to achieve has shaped the lives of thousands of children who are waiting in limbo for supports they so urgently need.
“The Government spent over €27,000 dragging our then 2-year-old daughter into court, only for them not to contest her case. She is 7 now and still waiting. Like so many children up and down the country we are still waiting for supports that may never come. We are living in a time of unprecedented financial surplus; state sanctioned neglect is a government policy.”
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin MEP explained why he invited the group to the Parliament:
“None of us raise our children to be second class citizens, but too many parents feel they have to fight for everything. The Irish Government are failing these children and it’s not good enough.
“If the government won’t act, I want the European Parliament and the European institutions to shame Ireland into action. I believe this is a breach of the fundamental rights of children under the European Charter.”
Eoghan Kenny TD, Labour education spokesperson, expressed his frustration at the government and his support for the families travelling to Brussels next week:
“The Government is quite simply breaking the law, there is no ambiguity in the legislation. Once the HSE receives an application for an assessment of needs it must complete it within 6 months. The HSE themselves are warning the figure waiting could hit 25,000 by the end of the year — this is outright failure. Bringing this crisis to the European Parliament is another step in highlighting the scale of the problem and ultimately trying to solve the problem and vindicate the rights of these children.”
The parents have invited anyone who wishes to support them to sign the petition: https://tinyurl.com/Assessment-Needs-Petition