Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests. I do not know how they got so much information into just 88 pages of the expert committee report, Creating Our Future. The level of engagement during Covid-19 was unbelievable. The topics are mind-blowing, from diagnosing younger children with autism to certain tests for Traveller women who wish to breastfeed, right across the spectrum to green energies.

Regarding inclusivity, I note there were also submissions in English and Irish. I read about the multidisciplinary approach adopted and Dr. Seoighe spoke about how it goes across all sectors in society. The report is easy reading but is a template for how Government should work. Whether it is autism or mental health, they are all tied into each other. This report seems to go across the whole lot, from social deficiencies, where you live and what actually affects you. One part of the report even addresses the question of mental health in families with autism and what their concerns are. There is an advantage or disadvantage to where you live. To synopsise, I recommend that anybody read it, but there were a lot of red flags for me, albeit they are not bad red flags. There are people I have worked with over the years and I am going to tell them that if there is one report to read - other than the committee's report, which will be launched on Thursday evening - it is this one because it is a brilliant example of joined-up thinking. It has been a while since I have seen joined-up thinking with every stakeholder being engaged and not making it over-complicated, with one or two sentences. I think 89 words was the longest sentence in the whole lot. I congratulate Science Foundation Ireland on the report and apologise because I have to go due to another engagement. I hope to be back in. It has been a pleasure. That report needs to get out into the public domain because it has such a broad spectrum, covering every colour, class, creed, religion and no politics. It is a breath of fresh air.