Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I will be very quick. I thank the witnesses and acknowledge Deputy Naughten and Deputy Canney and their sponsorship of the Bill. I understand that it was the committee's decision not to waiver pre-Committee Stage scrutiny which caused a significant delay. I noted from Deputy Canney's opening remarks the financial burden on families. He specifically referenced the average cost of more than €28,000 annually. That certainly highlights the urgency of protecting autism services in legislation. That is really important.

My first questions relate to the Department with responsibility for children. I will firstly focus on policy alignment and development. Mr. Brunell mentioned the ongoing development of the disability services action plan, the progressing disability services, PDS, roadmap, and the autism innovation strategy. Will he provide more detail on the timelines and specific goals of these initiatives?

Second, how do these initiatives align with the objectives of the national autism strategy and what is being proposed in this Bill? How will these collectively address the unique challenges faced by autistic individuals?