An opposition TD has said members of his extended family have emigrated to continental Europe to receive adequate child and disability services after having "fought with the system for years".
Sinn Féin TD and spokesperson on education and youth, Darren O'Rourke, revealed the situation during a Dáil debate on disability services in Ireland.
Responding to comments from new Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Norma Foley, that funding has increased and a new disability unit will be set up in the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy O'Rourke said problems still exist.
The Sinn Féin TD said he has "personal family experience" of the issues involved, saying his nephew and his family have emigrated to Belgium in order to receive the care he needs.
"They went to Belgium. They'd fought with the system for years... Overnight - overnight - my nephew's experience was transformed.
"You feel incompetent, you feel impotent as a public representative, because all you're doing is tracking failure," Mr O'Rourke added about his own view of the situation.
Similar views were expressed by other opposition TDs, including Labour's spokesperson on social protection, children, disability and equality, Mark Wall, who said while a child assessment of need should take place within months, in his constituency "the average waiting time" in some areas is three years.
Social Democrats TD and spokesperson for mental health and social protection, Liam Quaide raised the separate issue of how around 1,200 young adults are living in nursing homes because of a lack of adequate services for their needs "rather than because of the disability itself", while People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Richard Boyd Barrett said the system must provide for those in need.
After the views were echoed by a number of Government TDs, including Fine Gael's Paula Butterly, James Geoghegan and Fianna Fáil's John McGuinness, Pádraig O'Sullivan, Seamus McGrath and Cormac Devlin, Government said action would be taken.
Minister of State at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, accepted "a step change" is needed, and that respite, personal assistance and an 11.5% increase in disability services funding is taking place.
Ms Naughton said "we must provide" more supports to allow people to "continue living independently in their own homes", and that more supports will be made available across disability age groups.
The Fine Gael TD said she is "absolutely committed" to improving services and that she and Minister Foley want to "make it a priority to hear views on what is working well and what needs to be improved".
