Courts / Ireland / Report

Judge directs HSE appear before court over 'dramatic' rise in special needs assessment cases

Summary

In a High Court hearing on 21 November 2022, Mr Justice Charles Meenan addressed a sharp rise in judicial review applications against the Health Service Executive (HSE) concerning the assessment of children with special needs. He noted that normally two to three such cases appear weekly, but recently the average had climbed to seven per week, a "dramatic increase". The judge did not grant permission for the new applications, nor set the usual directions or timetables for document exchange. Instead, he adjourned the matters to a mid‑December hearing, instructing the HSE to appear before the court to discuss the issue. The applications, brought on behalf of young children, seek orders requiring the HSE to complete reviews of Assessment of Need applications within six weeks, alleging the HSE has failed to meet its legal obligations under the 2005 Disability Act.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Judge directs HSE appear before court over 'dramatic' rise in special needs assessment cases. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• 2022-11-21 Publication

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report