On Tuesday, Cara Darmody started a 50-hour protest outside Leinster House calling for action on the growing waiting lists for child disability assessments.
On Ireland AM, Muireann O’Connell and Tommy Bowe spoke with Cara Darmody and her father, who were outside Leinster House:
“I got maybe around 6.5 hours of sleep but it was really, really tough. And my dad had to supervise me at all times.”
In the studio, the interviewers turned to TD Hildegarde Naughton to ask her about her thoughts.
O’Connell said: “Minister, looking at Cara and her dad there, outside your place of work, to try to get people to talk about this…”
To which Bowe added: “- In her Winnie the Pooh pyjamas - you know, it's sad.”
Naughton responded:
"Nobody should have to protest outside the gates of Leinster House."
Naughton goes on to say that as Minister, they plan to address and work through the waiting lists for assessment of needs.
She also said they would make sure people have access to support services.
“At the end of 2023, it was 8,893 people looking for this. It then is at 15,000, we're expecting to be at 25,000," the presenter said.
“You're saying we want to reduce this, it's going the wrong direction. How many people are currently employed as AON or clinical disability leads?"
According to Naughton, there are approximately 1,800 across the sector.
Naughton goes on to name the things the government plans to “look at” to address the issue.
This includes looking at the process of conducting an assessment, how it works, and looking at not only the waiting lists, but also the health system.
Bowe cuts across at one point to say:
"Sorry, sorry, you keep saying you need to look at these things... the waiting list is growing.”
"How long is it going to take to look at these things and put them into place? Because this needs action now."
Naughton continued to speak about what they are looking at, to which Bowe clarifies:
"You keep saying, looking at. What are you doing?"
O’Connell added: “Do you have a timeline for this?”
Naughton replies that there is a Cabinet Committee for Disability that she sits on with Tánaiste Simon Harris, Minister Foley, and the Minister for Health.
“Assessment of need is an absolute top priority," she stressed.
Minister Foley and Naughton plan to report “back to the leaders” in the next few weeks about their next steps. They plan to act on this by September or October.
Naughton admitted she knows how big of an issue this is and that the government is “failing children,” and they plan to "tackle this issue."
Tommy Bowe has been praised for the impactful interview, with many viewers commenting on social media.
One person wrote:
“It’s funny that it’s the morning tv show that gives politicians a harder grilling than the nighttime current affairs panel discussions. Fair play lads."
Another said, "What an inspirational young girl , well done to Tommy bowe also."
"Fair play to @tommybowe for how you handled this interview," one added.
