Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It was remiss of me not to congratulate Mr. Harris on his recent engagement. Like every newly engaged person, he has been turning the ring around his finger.

Ms Kenny made a point about the committee. We are committed as a group to ensuring this report will not rest on a shelf. We want it to be implemented. We have sought the authority for an all-party committee to be set up to review constantly the proposals we make, whereby the Minister of the day, whoever he or she might be, would report to the Dáil and Seanad yearly on the implementation of the various recommendations we will put forward. I give a guarantee to everybody here that, as a group, we are fully committed to ensuring we make changes. As I said earlier to a large number of parents' groups who were here, we have to thank them for all the work they do. It is very important some mechanism be put in place whereby the Government will support the groups that are doing the work, and that every part of the country has a support group for both autistic persons and parents.

I had to cut short the first meeting we had. Dr. Mathews was to come in but I knew we were running tight on time, so I will instead give her the opportunity to speak now.