Cara Darmody begins 50-hour protest to highlight disability assessment delays
Cara, aged 14, from Ardfinnan in Co Tipperary, said the Disability Act has been "systemically broken" for almost a decade as delays for assessments of needs look set to reach 25,000.
Cara was initially motivated to pursue her advocacy because her two brothers — 12-year-old Neil and 8-year-old John — are autistic and have severe to profound intellectual disabilities.
The issue of the backlog will be raised today throughout the Dáil schedule, with the opposition backing a Sinn Féin motion on the issue.
An assessment of need is carried out to identify if a child, children, or young person has a disability. It is designed to identify their health needs as well as service requirements.
Once the HSE receives an application, there is a legal requirement for the assessment of needs to be completed within six months.
The number of applications overdue for completion at the end of March 2025 stood at 15,296 — an 8% increase on the figure from the end of 2024.
However, throughout the first quarter of this year, just 7% of assessments were completed within the timeframes set out in the Disability Act 2005 and its accompanying regulations.
In response to a parliamentary question from Labour TD Alan Kelly, the HSE said demand for the assessments continues to outstrip system capacity — despite increases in activity and commissions to private assessors.
The HSE anticipates that, by the end of the year, there could be as many as 24,796 assessments due for completion.
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