Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the committee for inviting me here today to discuss the work that the Government is undertaking to support people with autism. At the outset, as Minister of State with responsibility for disability, I recognise the clear value of national action on autism. I recognise the need to address the bespoke challenges that people with autism face today in Ireland. These challenges occur at all stages and facets of life, from healthcare to education, employment, housing and other areas. It is for this reason that I have prioritised the development of a national autism innovation strategy.

On World Autism Awareness Day in 2021, I announced the Government’s intention to launch an autism innovation strategy to deliver real and tangible solutions to the challenges and barriers faced by people with autism and to deliver on the commitment to act on autism set out in the programme for Government. A budgetary allocation of €100,000 was secured under budget 2022 for the purpose of designing and raising awareness of such a strategy.

There are a number of key processes under way to make the autism innovation strategy a reality. In April this year, I launched a public consultation seeking submissions to inform an initial draft of the strategy. I am glad to say there was a very positive response to the consultation from individuals, from their families and from representative organisations.

I also opened an expression of interest process in order to appoint an oversight and advisory group that will ensure that the strategy is being implemented appropriately and will monitor the delivery of progress. It is intended that this group will have strong representation from people with lived experience of autism and members of the neurodiverse community. This process closed at the end of June and I will consider the applications received and appoint the members of the group over the coming weeks.

Engagement and consultation with autistic and neurodiverse people and their representative organisations is key in developing any new policy measure. In line with our commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, it is critical that the strategy be co-designed and informed by the lived experiences of people with autism, their families and their representatives. That has underpinned our consultations to date and my Department will work with the members of the oversight and advisory group and with colleagues across Government to compile a draft strategy. We will ensure that there is an additional public consultation before the strategy is finalised to allow key stakeholders and the public to have a final say before the strategy is published at the end of this year.

My officials are also engaging with colleagues across Europe to learn from the experiences of other countries and to pool best practices to inform the development of our own strategy. The week before last, some of my officials met officials in Malta to discuss their autism strategy, how it was developed and how its implementation has worked to date. Each key pillar of the Irish strategy will be rooted in the aims of increasing awareness, promoting innovative solutions and empowering autistic people. While previous Governments have looked into developing such a strategy and, indeed, organisations such as AsIAm have long campaigned for one, this Government will be the first to actually develop one in Ireland. It is my intention that the autism innovation strategy will specifically identify and develop steps to address gaps in existing supports for people with autism in an agile manner that is localised in and sits in harmony with wider disability measures and supports.

The autism innovation strategy will complement our existing national disability inclusion strategy, NDIS, and the comprehensive employment strategy, CES, for people with disabilities. It is important that in creating bespoke supports for autism we do not create a hierarchy of support structures based on differing disabilities. By operating in harmony with the NDIS and CES, the autism innovation strategy will be informed by wider policy development and vice versa. This represents the kind of co-ordinated and joined up policy-making that is needed.

There should be no doubt about the commitment of the Government to making equality of support and of opportunity a reality for all people with autism in Ireland. I will continue to work with colleagues right across Government to address the needs of people with autism in a co-ordinated and comprehensive manner.

Earlier this year, I supported funding for a telephone information line for the autistic community which is being operated by AsIAm. The information line operates five days a week and offers callers the information and community-based support they need, insofar as is possible, without the need for external referral.

I recently joined the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, at the launch of a new innovation to support autistic students and those with an intellectual disability in accessing third level education. The proposals, which will form part of the proposed new national access plan, will allocate ring-fenced funding of €3 million per year to 2025. This will support higher education institutions to implement universal design and inclusive practices on their campuses and enhance opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities in higher education.

These are examples of how the Government is proactive in its support for autistic people across the country and I look forward to building on and further co-ordinating these measures. I am aware of the challenges faced by autistic people in accessing disability services and therapies. As Minister of State with responsibility for disability, I am committed to working with the HSE to explore how services can be better delivered to people with autism and to create greater awareness of autism.

A particular priority is ensuring timely and equitable access to therapies and supports for children with autism to enable them to achieve their full development potential. The establishment of children's disability network teams, CDNTs, marks an important reform in this regard as we work to ensure equitable child and family centred services across the country. Having met many families, I am acutely aware of the current frustrations regarding the lack of services for children and young people, including those with autism. The Government has committed funding for additional posts to enhance the capacity of CDNTs to ensure that services can be provided.

To conclude, I am aware there is a need for additional measures to support the health, education, employment and other needs of autistic people in Ireland. It is my intent that the autism innovation strategy will provide an effective mechanism for addressing these gaps in an integrated manner with wider disability supports and will pave the way for Ireland to become a more autism-inclusive and neurodiverse-friendly country. I thank the committee and look forward to questions from members.