Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Earlier on, a couple of things were set in train that need to be followed up on. That is the thing about the necessity of the autism register. We all know the difficulties that exist in relation to diagnosis. I also get what Ms Carr says, in that a person is diagnosed as autistic and that is not going to change. Sometimes we have an element of madness whereby we need an updated diagnosis on something that has not changed. We all know that is a wider issue but there is a sufficient amount of information and that just needs to happen.

We could go over and back in relation to those Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, figures. I think the generalised figure is one in 65 in this State at present. However, anecdotally we all know from seeing kids coming through that the numbers are greater and greater. There is obviously a necessary piece of research that has to be done in that regard.

I sit on the transport committee and it is dealing with an issue that largely pertains to the fact of bus services in Dublin. I had stepped out so I will make an attempt to step back in afterwards and I thank the Chair for making sure I put that on the agenda.

I have found personally that people have become a lot more understanding in wider society. I get there are still issues, such as people coming over and petting the dog and I think that is a check for all of us. We get the idea of self-regulation and the absolute benefits for all the witnesses around that. The idea of use of movement and the relationship with animals is interesting. My own son has his moments, as I call them, which really can underplay what that looks like. What struck me was the fact that there was a calmness, as you say. I myself would be fairly miffed if I could not get on a bus and had to walk back and I might slam a couple of presses myself. The fact that there was anger and containment on some level sells the idea of the assistance dog.

Is there a greater level of societal awareness while accepting that there needs to be greater level of an insistence on best practice being operated, whether it is Bus Éireann or anybody else for that matter?

Then beyond that, funding is on the agenda. I imagine that at the point in time when we deal with funding, more people will realise this is out there and the numbers we are dealing with are not the numbers Ms Geraghty spoke about earlier.

On the references to sports and recreational funding, could the witnesses explain what they mean? Funding often works on an ad hoc basis across the board. It is never multi-annual and it is never where it needs to be. You seem to be very reliant on volunteerism and as sound as that is, I do not know how sustainable it is in the long term.