Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

I recognise the presence of many people in the Public Gallery and rooms all over the House. Many could not get into the Gallery to listen to Members' contributions. If this debate continued until 1 a.m., we still would not have sufficient time. As one speaker pointed out, we are all learning from the discussion. There is no great font of wisdom on one side or the other.

As citizens of a republic, we have a written constitution under which the House cannot pass laws or motions which are repugnant to the Constitution. Bunreacht na hÉireann contains specific commitments to the parents of children. I refer specifically to Article 42, which states:

1.The State acknowledges that the primary and natural educator of the child is the Family and guarantees to respect the inalienable right and duty of parents to provide, according to their means, for the religious and moral, intellectual, physical and social education of their children.

2.Parents shall be free to provide this education in their homes or in private schools or in schools recognised or established by the State.

Let us get back to the Constitution and its clearly expressed rights and duties. The Fine Gael Party motion was framed in the context of Article 42. We do not suggest a single or one-size-fits-all approach for autistic children, we ask the Government to show flexibility and recognise the range of options available. Specifically, when a psychological assessment concludes that the ABA model is preferable, the child must be given this option.

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