Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to outline to the House the position on the establishment of a special facility for children with autism at Goresbridge, County Kilkenny.

The Department of Education and Science is actively considering the application referred to by the Deputy. Officials from the Department are liaising with the Department's inspectorate, the National Educational Psychological Service and the patron bodies. I can confirm that one of the officials from the Department was in recent contact with a member of the parents' representative group. The Department confirmed that, as a matter of general policy, it is favourably disposed to making educational provision for children with autism as and when required. The details of each application have to be examined carefully, having regard to such matters as the assessment reports for the individual children, the suitability of proposed accommodation from an educational and health and safety perspective and the proximity of existing autism-specific provision in the area. The Department's objective would be to complete all necessary inquiries so that if the application were to be approved, the new facility would be in a position to commence operation from the start of the next school year.

An official from the Department's technical section is arranging to examine the building proposed for the new facility in Goresbridge, County Kilkenny, this week. Pending a decision on the application, the Department has agreed to fund a structured home programme for the children concerned, subject to confirmation from the parents that the proposal is acceptable. I thank Deputy McGuinness for giving me the opportunity to clarify this matter.

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