Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In fairness, the Minister referred to retention. We all know the issues regarding conditions. At least if we have that part done, it means we will have something positive in the years ahead. We must bridge the gaps in the short term.

In the presentations made to us we heard about the Trinity centre and the fabulous programme from the point of view of work placement and job activation. It is about providing that trajectory for autistic people, accepting what was said earlier about the wide spectrum and the fact that everybody is coming from a different place. I find it incredibly positive. In fairness, Ms Doherty from SOLAS spoke about the fact that we could use some of the services that are out there in social protection and also within the ETBs from the perspective of enterprise engagement with more companies. What we want is for all educational institutions and universities to engage to a greater degree, but I accept that some of them have done a decent amount of work.

PATH 4 does two things. It is a universal design from the point of view of making sure we have best practice from a capital point of view and making people comfortable. It also provides a universal design in learning, we are giving people the framework and protections. It will not come as a shock to the Minister that a number of personal assistants, PA, have been in contact with Deputy Munster and myself, in particular from O'Fiaich college in Dundalk and the Drogheda Institute of Further Education, DIFE, and other institutions across the board. Their pay and conditions are abysmal. I know the Minister is aware of the issue. From our interactions, I think it is something he wants to bring to a head. It is an issue we must solve as soon as possible. We are all talking about providing a framework for autistic people and people with disabilities and sometimes this is the framework or the scaffolding that can help someone to get through third level.

It is not just about access, as the Minister said, it is also about being able to make the journey.