Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Lombard. On my own behalf as Chair, I thank everyone for coming here today. People have travelled significant and long distances. As all members have stated, it was powerful listening to their testimonies. As a committee, we are charged with making a report to the Government on 1 June 2023. We are committed to that and to ensuring we include recommendations that will lead to change. I only listed one matter earlier, the Disability Act. It must change. I am repeating myself. The Government must review it. We need to give children a legal entitlement to therapies and interventions and not just to an assessment of need. They need therapy and intervention.

I sincerely thank the witnesses for coming today. We will hold another session which I will push back to start at 2.15 p.m. A number of self-advocates will come to speak to the committee about their experiences, including young adults in the workforce and young adults in Trinity College. A young neighbour of mine from Longford, Mr. Deasún Kelly, who is in first year in Trinity College will attend. In his own time he visited some national schools in Longford to tell them about his experience and inform other children in the schools about what it meant for him to be an autistic young person. The witnesses are welcome to come back to listen to that.

We will follow the lead of the ushers. They will bring us outside for a group photograph and then we will go for refreshments.