Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and her officials. I wish her well in her new role. We have already met and spoken extensively on issues.

I wish to bring up a few points, many of which will refer back to the joint committee report on autism and the specific sections on special education. I note a number have been implemented.

I wish touch on the summer programme, which has been mentioned extensively. Saying it annoys me would be an understatement in respect of the way I feel about the number of special schools that still do not do it. Every single special school should be providing a school-based programme, without doubt. It can be done. Work was started last year and additional measures were brought in. Mr. Hanlon worked extensively on that. One school in Galway employed up to 30 persons off the portal. It ran a very successful four-week programme, and a significant number of those who worked on the programme worked in respite services afterwards. People were working in ECCE jobs throughout the summer. We had a four-week programme and we had no shortage of staff in ECCE. That can work throughout the country if there is a significant will at senior management level in some of the special schools.

The Joint Committee on Autism did a report where we wrote, on behalf of the committee, to every special school asking if they were doing it for summer 2023. One school came back and said it was not doing it because it was hiring out its facilities to another organisation that was running a camp for profit. That was its reason for not doing it. I strongly believe every school should be doing it, without exception. That is the way it needs to be from summer 2025. Whatever measures need to be put in place need to be put in place. I know that is where the witnesses want to get and I know they are working hard towards that. I spoke with members of teachers' unions last Wednesday after our meeting to talk about the first anniversary report. There is a willingness there, but there is a breakdown somewhere when they are not all doing it. That is what we need to work to.

I have a couple other queries. I refer to the Middletown Centre for Autism and the lack of power-sharing there for a significant time. That should be expanded upon. It is well recognised as being best practice model. We need to work further and roll out further training for both parents and teachers with the Middletown Centre. I ask the witnesses to comment on that.

With regard to the special classes set up, is there sufficient funding in place for school reconfiguration and sensory rooms?

WALK was mentioned. Only today, we had the graduation for the OWL programme in the Oireachtas, which works with Kare and WALK. It is a fantastic model of a programme. Significant numbers have gone on from those programmes to work in the Civil Service. That is a good model to work with and they are good organisations to work with. I am sure that will be successful. It needs to be expanded upon. More Departments need to work with the programme and take on trainees.

I will start with that and come back to other questions.