Mr. Greg Browne:

Statistically, the Department is working off a figure of one in 20 children in education in Ireland who has a diagnosis of autism. When we take that figure to the broad expanse of education in Ireland, it is 50,000 pupils. Somewhere in the region of 15,000 of that huge cohort of 50,000 pupils have the most complex needs and need will a bespoke education. They will need intense therapies and all of the facilities the State can provide. We are not saying they do not need it; what we are clearly saying is that we have a cohort as well, which is equal in number, who would be lost in Irish society if our schools did not exist.