Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome everybody to the committee and thank them for coming to share their experience. I give a special welcome to Olena. I thank her for coming here to share her story. I welcome her and her family to Ireland. I want to show solidarity with you. We all want to see an end to the war in Ukraine and it is so sad to hear of how many people are being left behind who cannot get out or to safety, especially people who are disabled in some form or other. We must also remember those who did not get to safety and who have lost their lives.

I commend all the good work done by the organisations to help Olena and families like hers, reaching out and offering support. There have been some very practical suggestions about bringing back wheelchair-accessible transport and bringing back into operation accommodation that was deinstitutionalised. What must happen to action that? Are the groups being listened to and is work being done to bring that transport and accommodation back into use?

Mr. Harris is reaching out to autistic people who are coming here but as he notes, many people do not even have that diagnosis. How difficult is it to recognise that and get support to people who need it in this country? He also referenced supports in this country, such as school places and services. We already know there is shortage in this respect and I have heard from families who cannot get a placement for their child going to school. What must happen to increase places for all children with autism or an intellectual disability in particular?