Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I hope the debate and coverage of the past 24 hours has opened the hearts and minds of the Deputies of various parties on the Government benches. Sympathy for parents coping with children with various levels of autism spectrum difficulties is not enough. Government Deputies must mark their concern by forcing action and a response from the Minister for Education and Science.

It is obvious that for some children the most appropriate education is the ABA method. The Minister has stuck her head in the sand and is in denial, possibly for financial reasons or possibly out of blind pride and a refusal to acknowledge that she and her Department are wrong. She must face up to the reality that the special insights offered by the ABA method are particularly appropriate to a significant number of children with autism. Every parent knows what is best and what works for his or her child. I hope this debate will enable parents to access targeted and enhanced services for the specific needs of their children.

In Castleknock, Dublin 15, there is a magnificent wing lying idle for the past year and a half to support children with autism in Castleknock Educate Together. The school and the community are anxious for this to open but it cannot because of an ongoing dispute between the Minister for Education and Science and the Minister for Health and Children on how resources should be allocated to provide the range of services required by the children. It is absolutely appalling to find that the school at Beechpark will not participate because the HSE and the Department of Health and Children cannot mediate with the Department of Education and Science.

Like many people during the last general election, I met parents and grandparents who were concerned about the future of their children and grandchildren. In Dublin West, there is no dedicated facility for ABA. Instead, children are ferried and taxied long distances to services. In the context of traffic in the Dublin region, very young children are faced with two and a half hour to four and a half hour commutes. One child travels from Clonsilla, Dublin 15, to the Croke Park area and on to the special school service in Tallaght. Even an adult would find that trip difficult and although reports refer to how well Ireland has done, we are unable to address this situation. I congratulate Fine Gael on this motion and hope it will open hearts and minds — not just sympathy — so that Government Members do the right thing by supporting it.

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