The Department of Children and Youth Affairs has no record of how many pupils with disabilities take up options to extend or delay their use of Government-funded pre-schooling.

Supports for children with disabilities in the free pre-school year vary widely because of a lack of clear Government policy, according to Children’s Ombudsman Emily Logan.

Access to free pre-school for children with disabilities depends on where they live because of inconsistent distribution of resources, reports Education Correspondent Niall Murray

The HSE drew back from a commitment to fund accommodation and travel costs for the family of a young boy requiring limb-lengthening surgery in the US and denied him shoe lifts, a report has found.

The HSE took 10 months to repair a boy’s walking frame while some children in care could not be reunited with their families because local authorities failed to provide suitable housing.

Department of Justice officials said it would “never be their intention” to treat the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman “with anything other than the highest of respect”.

THE Children’s Ombudsman is to speak with homeless children to see if the HSE is safeguarding their welfare.

A TEENAGE Chinese girl who arrived unaccompanied at Cork airport earlier this year has gone missing from HSE care.

THE Office of the Children’s Ombudsman is taking longer to deal with the growing number of calls because of a lack of resources.