Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I concur with my colleagues. Well done to the library service, in particular, for the excellent work done in Limerick. It needs to be replicated across the country. In my local authority area, in Longford, much good work has been done, but I ask whether it is being done across the country. The CCMA may be able to revert to the committee on the number of sensory rooms, etc., in the local authority areas across the country.

With regard to training, on Wednesday next we will be launching a programme here in Leinster House to make it one of the first autism-friendly parliaments in the world. We are training all staff, including political staff and Houses of the Oireachtas staff, and also Deputies and Senators over the month of May so we in Leinster House can be accredited as an autism-friendly parliament. I would like to see this replicated in the local authority system so we can say, as a State, that our Parliament and all offices of local government are accredited as autism friendly. This needs to be widened out to our Departments also .

Reference was made to the lack of supply of one-bedroom houses. Should it not be dictated by the local authority housing section that is examining, say, turnkey developments that we are looking for a supply of two- and one-bedroom houses?

There are thousands if not tens of thousands of cases of single people living in two-bedroom apartments or two-bedroom houses, and still we are not building one-bedroom housing. I do not understand that. The local authority should be looking to put that kind of turnkey development out to developers. They should be looking for a mix to ensure that area is covered.

Deputy Tully suggested looking for a specific scheme for sensory rooms. The Department should send a circular to local authorities to allow people to apply specifically to build a sensory room or to convert an existing room to a sensory room. That would be a very positive move.

Do local authorities allocate housing specifically? Ms Purtill mentioned allocating houses where there might be a downstairs bedroom specifically to a family if they have a child or two on the autism spectrum. That downstairs bedroom or another room could be turned into a sensory room. Do the local authorities make their allocations on that basis?