Mr. David O'Sullivan:

I am heartened that the Senator has mentioned mental health supports and investing in mental health supports. We are aware that last October third-level education was given €5 million. We would not begrudge one cent of what was provided to third level. In Northern Ireland in November last year, £5 million was provided to support emotional health and well-being.

The autism good practice guidance for schools says that there should be a focus on well-being for students with autism particularly because they have a heightened vulnerability to mental health difficulties. This can impact on the participation and learning in everyday life activities. In our pre-budget submission, we have called for much more investment into mental health for young people. We are finding since the pandemic that there is quite a need in that area. There has been an increase in the services and demands on the child and adolescent mental health services by 40% from primary school pupils. In the budget, we would hope that there would be a further significant investment into mental health services for young people in schools and especially for pupils with autism. I thank the Senator for the questions.