Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for the work they and their groups have done, not only for their own children but for all children in their communities. It is not right or proper that parents and voluntary groups have to campaign so hard to get the services our children are entitled to. I speak as a parent as well. I have an autistic son. It is my job as a parent to make sure he reaches his potential. He will. We have a responsibility as a group, collectively and across all parties, to make sure we make changes. Ms Kenny read out a quote from Donogh O'Malley, "We will be judged by future generations on what we did for the children of our time." That was pertinent in 1966 and unfortunately it is pertinent in 2022. That should not be the case.

We met the HSE last week. There are over 800 funded, unfilled places across the CDNTs at the minute. The HSE has let us all down by not forward planning to make sure we have sufficient professionals coming through the education system to fill the need that is there to provide services for our children. The Disability Act 2005 was mentioned by a number of people. I personally think it must be changed and we need to add the right to services. It cannot be just be the right to an assessment because that is an opt-out clause. We need to add services because every family has a right services for their children. I commend the witnesses but any group that is putting in this much time and effort should be given State funding. I know the voluntary work that goes on.

I live just across the county boundary in Longford from Ms Smith and Ms Boylan, and I notice the work, the time and the effort that their groups put in. I fully agree that we need to see that type of group and service across every county supporting families, but they also need State funding support to be able to provide their services. I take the point.

Perhaps Ms Kenny might expand on what was said regarding fee-paying schools in her closing remarks. I have not seen the statistics, but I assume that the percentages of special classes in fee-paying schools are very low.