Dr. Rosalyn Tamming:

On third level education, I think what the Chair is talking about is the supports for individual students. We are working quite closely with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Higher Education Authority. Under the national access plan they have the programme for access to higher education, PATH 4, a funding stream which is specifically focused on people with intellectual disabilities and autism in trying to make the whole university approach more universally designed, and then on specific supports for those students. There is a lot of work going on in that area. Third level institutions are beginning to come much more up to speed. They are realising it is not just that a sensory room is needed on campus but that a lot more supports are needed. We are supporting them in that.

On the transfer of functions, it is positive because they will now be with the disability policy unit along with all the specialist disability services in terms of health and social care. The danger is that all other Departments could say to themselves that the unit is sorted now, they have loads of money and are looking after everything to do with disability. Every Department across Government has responsibility for disability. We need to keep an eye on whether that cross-governmental work is still ongoing.

I will let Mr. Hunt talk about the special classes.