Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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May I ask one quick question? I have listened to an interesting debate between the Chairman and Ms Guinan on autism and education. I am concerned at something that has been happening in the past seven or eight years. If a school in a community is really good about including children with disabilities and there is another mainstream school about two miles away, there is a huge move for all the children with disabilities to go to the former school because it has the resources and the proper equipment, while the more academic children go to the other school. Part of Ms Guinan's brief is to advise the Minister on mainstreaming and bringing us all together. That is happening in some parts of the country and I am concerned about it. It is like a division in some schools.

The more academic children will want to go to college and the children with special needs are in another school down the road. I am concerned about that issue in the long term. Perhaps Ms Guinan would think about this in terms of advising the Minister as there could be more division in society, particularly at second level. The position is better at primary level. As soon as the word gets out that a school has an autistic unit or a unit for children with Down's syndrome, another school in the area has all the children who are getting As and Bs in the junior certificate examination. I am concerned about the division and would ask Ms Guinan to keep an eye on this in the next couple of years.