Health Minister urged to intervene as 30,000 wait for occupational therapy assessments

The Health Minister Simon Harris has been urged to do more to reduce the number of people waiting for an occupational therapy assessment.

New figures show almost 30,000 are on the waiting list, almost half of them under the age of 17.

One in three children on the list have been on it for more than a year.

Fiona Fáil's disability spokesperson Margaret Murphy O'Mahony said: "More occupational therapists need to be hired to clear the waiting lists.

"Behind these figures, we must remember the people who are waiting for these assessments, but also their families.

"For a lot of these people, their lives are on hold. It's of major concern. The Minister really does need to intervene."