Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I take this opportunity to thank all our witnesses, Davida Hartman, Tara O'Donnell-Killen, Jessica Doyle, Nem Kearns, Cír Doyle and Blessing Dada, who had to go off the call. First, I thank them for the work they do in being advocates and working on behalf of young and adult autistic people. It is important that we have people who are prepared to push against the system and push elected representatives like us to ensure we can propose changes. It is our job to put pressure on Government and senior civil servants in the Departments to make those changes. That is what we hope to do with our report, which will be laid before the Dáil and Seanad on 1 June.

Knowing the members on the committee with me, we will not be found wanting in the proposals we will be putting forward. It is then up to us collectively as an all-party group, with members from both Government and Opposition parties, to make sure we implement those changes.

None of us wants to see this report on a shelf gathering dust and that is something we will make sure will not happen. If there is anything else the witnesses would like to tell us, or any reports or information they feel might benefit the committee in making its report, I ask them to send it to the clerk to the committee. I thank the witnesses once again for what they do and the work they have done. We ask them to support us going forward as a committee in implementing those positive changes for the years ahead. The committee is now adjourned until Thursday, 27 April at 12 noon when it will resume in private session.