People Before Profit TD, Gino Kenny, has offered his full support to a number of families who have decided to take the HSE to the High Court over their children being kept waiting for assessments for so long.

According to the Disability Act 2005, children must get an assessment within three months of applying for an assessment. These assessments must be completed within three months following this period.

Deputy Kenny tabled a parliamentary question to the Minister for Health, the answer to which showed that out of over 1,000 complaints in 2016 over a third of these complaints are still outstanding and has not been dealt with.

In the Children’s Rights Alliance Report Card 2017 the government received a grade of D+ for child right to education and a D- in regards to child mental health.

It is clear that the government are failing children generally. Child and family homelessness received a grade of E.

Further evidence of the government’s failure of children is in the statistic that over 1 in 10 children in this state go hungry every day.

Reacting to the news that the families will be suing the HSE, Gino Kenny TD said: “People Before Profit and I would like to offer our full support to these families who are suing the HSE over the lack of assessments for their children.

“I think it is an absolute disgrace that these vulnerable children are being left out in the cold by this government. Children are being let down by the government and it is absolutely right that these families are taking action.

“These children need their assessments now and the government needs to end their shameful neglect of children in this country.”