No immediate solution: Mary Regan on growing political problem around assessment of needs
Children's Minister Norma Foley got ahead of a combined opposition joint motion on the issue with a press conference that started with the declaration: 'The system is a broken system.'
But when it came to what is to be done about it, the minister, and the political system as a whole, are far less certain.
Under the Disability Act, children are entitled to an assessment in a timeframe of six months. But that legal obligation is only being met in 7pc of cases.
So 93pc of children are not being assessed in the statutory timeline, which was put in place for a good reason: because timely intervention is a vital component in ensuring better outcomes for a child where a disability or neurodivergence is identified.
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Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
Ireland has too many quangos and too many lawyers feeding off its clientelist politics
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Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Irish Independent
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Irish Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Dynamic pricing is scourge on music': TD calls for end to ticket price gouging
A TD has called for an end to Ticketmaster price gouging as fans ready themselves for the long-awaited Oasis gigs in Croke Park later this month. Music lovers were left stunned after being forced to shell out around €400 for a ticket the band's Dublin concerts after tickets went on sale last year, despite standing tickets initially being advertised at €86.50 plus booking fees. Speaking ahead of the two sold-out Oasis shows, Labour Party spokesperson on Culture, Robert O'Donoghue, recalled the outrageous price gouging allowed by Ticketmaster this time last year. 'Dynamic pricing is a scourge on modern music, sport and cultural ticket purchases,' Deputy O'Donoghue said. 'Since Ticketmaster introduced the practice in 2022, fans and spectators have seen sudden price increases, sometimes of up to 500 per cent, of already expensive ticket prices. "While there are excuses made that this practice falls to event organisers, when Ticketmaster has a near monopoly on ticket selling, they are ultimately the ones in charge of allowing such price hikes to happen. 'This is leading us down a path where only the very well-off can afford to go to a gig without putting themselves under severe financial strain. "Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke has stated to me in a parliamentary question that he is awaiting the results of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC)'s investigation on the matter of dynamic pricing, but the evidence is already clear in the bank balance of anyone who bought an Oasis ticket. "Last year, Government introduced the Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) (Amendment) Bill 2024 to ensure these rip-off ticket prices do not happen again, but we haven't seen anything of it since. "I am calling on Government to progress this legislation to tackle rip-off ticket prices. The time for action is now." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
