Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response and I appreciate the ongoing work taking place on this issue and the work Genio has done for many years. The additional €4 million provided under the HSE service plan is welcome but it is not adequate. I appreciate the Minister of State and the HSE are liaising and negotiating with service providers but they need to ensure at this stage they will have services for the children. Yesterday the parent of a child with autism stated it is crucial for the child to have a transition period for any new placement well in advance of September. As of now there is nowhere to transition to because of a lack of planning and insufficient funding for school leavers with special needs. I appreciate the Minister of State said this will be an issue every year, but the parents acknowledge the HSE knows the numbers involved every year and as we are now in the middle of June they are concerned they still have this level of uncertainty. Will the Minister of State through the HSE and the service providers continue to do everything to ensure these children have a placement in September?

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